A couple of things

On Tuesday, I took Hermes out for his morning walk after my first conference call and dialed into my second via cellphone to listen. When we started down the driveway, I saw a dog coming down the sidewalk in our direction loose. She stopped to check out a woman walking and then headed down to meet Hermes. I took him back to the door and asked Ben to give me a leash and I started to walk them both back the direction from which she came to see if anyone was looking for her. I saw posted on the corner a sign saying "Found....." and describing the little girl pitbull pup that I had, so I hung up on my conference call and called the number. The people live just down the street and had found her the day before. I returned her to them and was talking to the woman and said I could get the microchip scanner from the shelter to see if she had a chip that identified her. I told her I would call her later. I talked the shelter manager to get the phone number of the daytime dog caretaker during the week as no one answers the shelter phone during the week and it just rolls to voicemail. I also asked her if we could take in the stray and put her on stray hold as the neighbor found her to be trying. She said yes. The neighbor called me a bit later to find out what the answers were and I said that if she was being too much trouble, to bring her down to my house. Later on, she did and the little pup and Hermes ran and wrestled in the yard and house. I had given Hermes a knee bone that he had separated into its two pieces and she ate at one and he got jealous. I gave them both treats and he was growling. I told him no and left her alone but kept looking for opportunities to steal her treat. Later in the evening, I took her over to the shelter to go on stray hold.

Over the past few evenings, Hermes has come across some of the toads that live in our little pond in the grass or the rocky area between the cedar trees. He sniffs at them and they hop away and he follows. If they don't move when he sniffs, he paws at the ground. They go into the higher grass and eventually lose him. He finds it amusing. Well, tonight he was playing with 2 earlier and then just now when I took him out, he discovered that there are 5 that hang out in the pond and under the big rock where the water comes out for the fountain. He saw a couple swimming and chased them around and he finally ended up sending them all packing for shelter under the big rock and he kept circling and sniffing at all the cavities that lead down there and sticking his head sideways under the rock trying to get them to come out. He even stuck his head in the cavity where the water stream comes out a few times. It was quite amusing. The toads are back out there now ( I can hear the loud croaking) and I think I will let him go play again.