I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Wiggles, confess it. You tore up the tarp that was covering part of the Chicken House.
Wiggles: I don’t remember doing any such thing. And what is a tarp?
Stella: It’s that big crackly plastic blanket by the Chicken House. Lady Human uses it to help keep the chickens dry, and they sure needed it during all the rain.
Me: And then I come out here and there is a big hole torn in it and pieces of blue plastic are all over the ground and it’s taking a long time to pick it all up and I just don’t understand why you did this.
Wiggles: Neither do I. Why did I do this?
Me: Beats me, but now I’m going to have to throw this away and… whoa there, what’s this? Yuck. Now I understand Wiggles’ interest.
Stella: Explain it to us. We don’t understand.
Me: Stay back.
Wiggles: I remember now. There was a fascinating odor coming from under that crackly blanket.
Me: Yeah, I’ll bet there was.
Stella: I can’t see. I can’t see. What?
Me: A dead rat.
Stella: Ohhhh. Yeah. That’s definitely a dead rat odor.
Me: Stay back. I’ll clean it up.
Wiggles: Why?
Me: Because nasty, that’s why. He must have crawled up under the tarp to hide and there he met his end.
Wiggles: I’ve seen one of those before!
Me: Yes, you and Sweetie brought a dead one to us a couple of years ago and laid it at our feet.
Wiggles: I remember. It smelled so good that I knew it would make a wonderful present for you and Tall Man.
Me: Humans don’t really value stinky things.
Stella: Of course, you do! What about that stinky stuff in your room?
Me: The essential oils?
Stella: Exactly. Do any of those come in dead rat scent?
Me: Nope.
Stella and Wiggles: Too bad.
Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.
Bulldoggy 