DEFIANCE!!!

When I lived on my 100 acres among the many dogs that I had was a liver-spotted dalmation named Smooches. She was named Smooches because she ALWAYS wanted to kiss me. Unfortunately she was not nearly so affectionate with the other animals on the farm.

One day I walked outside to see Smooches snapping at something about halfway up the side of the hill beside my house. I couldn't quite see what it was though. I kept looking and what I saw really surprised me. Smooches had a field mouse cornered. That poor mouse knew that it's life was on the line and it was fighting back with everything that a mouse can muster against a dalmation. I watched as that tiny mouse jumped up and snapped at Smooches' nose! Then it did it again. I could see that Smooches was actually enjoying this game of "cat and mouse" but it was going to be just a matter of time before she finished the "game."

I started up the hill as fast as I could. The whole way up I was screaming at Smooches to stop but of course she wasn't listening to me. She kept pouncing and barking and swatting at the poor mouse but the mouse never gave up. It kept jumping and jumping and I could see it snapping at Smooches' nose. (this was about a 2 foot jump for that mouse!) When I finally got to Smooches I grabbed her collar to hold her back. The poor mouse collapsed, lying on the ground, probably frozen in fear. Smooches was all worked up and it took all my strength to hold her back. At the same time I started stomping the ground to try to get the mouse to move away. It still didn't move! It just looked up at me with a pleading look in it's eyes (I could see that the poor creature was completely exhausted!)

About 5 feet away was a lawnmower that I had left earlier in the day. I dragged Smooches over to the lawnmower and I grabbed it. Then I dragged it up the hill to where the poor mouse lay. I parked the mower over top of the mouse. Then I let Smooches go. She spent the next hour or 2 trying to get under the mower to get that mouse. I plopped down on the ground tired from having to run up the hill and hold Smooches back. I was worn myself from the ordeal.

Finally Smooches got bored and came to me. Later that day when she was distracted with some other great dog project I went and moved the mower. The mouse was gone.

That fight for a mouses life was probably one of the greatest moments of courage that I have witnessed in my life. I will never forget the sight of that little mouse jumping up to fight back that big dalmation. It reminds me of that poster that was so popular in the seventies. You know the one with the eagle swooping down on the mouse and the mouse giving the eagle the finger! The title of the poster was "DEFIANCE!"