Yup. I said “monsters.”
I was trying to leave for work yesterday morning, but Gus (my pet vizsla) would not come in. He wasn’t responding to my calls or whistles, so I figured one of two things: 1) he ran away, or 2) he was locked up on point on something in the yard.
Since I have an invisible fence, running away was unlikely. So, in my dress shoes, slacks, and shirt I walked out to the woods behind my house. Sure enough, Gus was locked up pointing something under my shed. He pointed, barked, yelped, and circled the shed for 10 minutes before I managed to get him in the house.
However, when I went to open the door to leave for work (again), he dashed out of the door and went straight for the shed. He pointed and then went crazy. There had to be something under the shed that he wanted.
Never being afraid of mud (or of keeping my dry cleaner in business), I grabbed a long stick, knelt down, and began poking it underneath the shed. After the second or third swipe with the stick, I heard a deep growl. I jabbed with the stick again, and I heard the growl even louder! Now Gus was really going nuts.
Although some may argue this point, I am no dummy. The last thing I need at 7:00 AM is a close encounter with a fox, raccoon, groundhog, or some other sub-shed-dwelling monster. I grabbed Gus by the collar and took him in the house.
I washed up and went to work. When I returned home, there was no more commotion near the shed. Gus seemed disappointed, but I was happy the monster was gone. However — I hung a trail camera today. Let’s see what else lurks out there.