(181) Walkabout Nature Lessons From Beeker

I’ve figured out that if I pay attention to what Beeker is doing when we are outside, I can sometimes discover some really interesting natural phenomena. This morning when I went outside with Beeker, we did our usual walkabout. Beeks ran like the wind around the house as I walked looking to see what is left of my flowers and plants. The heat has really done a job on my garden and yard. The nice rain we had last weekend didn’t really make a difference in the moisture content of the soil and so everything still looks dry. As we walked from the front to the back I noticed Beeker with his nose down spending a long time smelling something on the wood slices around the fire pit.


As I got closer, Beeker moved on, content with his exploration of the situation and ready for something else. What I noticed was a snout of some rodent, mandible and all. The jaw with teeth was still intact. Further on laying on another slice, was the other half of the snout and jawbone. I also observed some scat of what I believe is our resident fox. I love this cycle of life stuff. What animal has that large of a snout? Thinking this through, it must be an opossum. That is the only rodent that has that large and pointy of a nose. Where is the rest of this rather large rodent? I found no trace of a tail or other inedible parts around. Why two halves of a jaw?

Then I thought about Beeker. He wasn’t skittish about this encounter at all. His curiosity was in high mode. Does he instinctively know that this is a natural occurrence and so he just takes note of it? This evening when I returned to the fire pit, I noticed the remnants were still there and the smaller insects were utilizing what nourishment was left.

The bones were in an area not too far from where we found the squirrel carcass in the early summer. Maybe this is what the fox uses for dinner platters. Most early evenings, Max and Beeker will start barking for no apparent reason, and when I look out the front or back doors I can’t see anything. Maybe they hear the fox and I am not able to see or hear it when it is right under my nose, not 10 feet from my back door. I wish I could see them in action and I will have to pay more attention to Beeks and Max’s barking. They certainly act like they hear something outside. They go from a calm laying position to a full barking at the door in about 5 seconds flat. This seems reasonable that they would be able to hear the fox moving along the side yard and I would not hear it. My ears are picking up the ceiling fan, the TV, and the air conditioner instead of the quiet rustling of the plants and weeds outside.

My dogs teach me so much if I am able to quiet myself, learning to be more observant. Dog lessons are more than just for the dogs.