<Slow, dramatic, British voice of David Attenborough, BBC Earth>
The Chihuahua…
Weighing no more than seven pounds, basks in the sun of the Sahara- like land (thanks to a clear, plastic, homemade slip and slide set up by an unknowing 20 year old for the Fourth of July) and diligently peruses the dry, vast landscape for its next meal. It sits with confidence in the warmth of the sunshine. There is another Chihuahua here too… she is three pounds…a killer. They pace the perimeter of their land… silently awaiting the unknowing, unsuspecting bike rider…the dog walker…or the skateboarder to brush the outer margins of their home. A dog walker approaches… it sees the Chihuahuas and comments on how little they are. The walker’s companion dog… without knowing it has invaded the territory of the threatened Chihuahua… excitedly wants to play with the small animals on the other side of the fence.
<Dramatic Music>
The Chihuahuas, in their abundance of energy, in all their ten pound combined glory, leap and bound along the fringe of their home, barking in deafening tones, letting their potential prey know…it is not… welcome. The Chihuahuas seem increasingly desperate. It is now or never. The Chihuahuas attempt to catch the dog walker by pushing their small noses through the slats of the fence…but the walker manages to escape and slips from the Chihuahuas’ potential grasp.
The Chihuahuas will not feast on the dog walker today. There will be no easy meals from behind the fence. They will, rather, settle for bowls of holistic dog food so expensive, the owners may take second jobs.
The Chihuahuas retreat to the dead grass. They lay down and wait for their next possible victim. They roll over and scratch their backs on the stiff, dead blades. A hawk, largely looming over head, circles above the landscape, taking stock of the small Chihuahuas in their habitat. They are not watching the predator. They are too busy sniffing each other’s behinds and chasing butterflies and birds. The hawk lands on a nearby pole and observes. The hawk, however, is unaware that his predator, the keeper of the Chihuahuas, is closely watching from the landscape… in the shade of a large tree… She steps closer to the Chihuahuas and encourages them to head to the deck and into the nearby shelter. The hawk flies away…Chihuahua-less.
<Happy Music>
The Chihuahuas will not become prey today. They will continue in their habitat, in the safety of their shelter with the humans over which they have complete control.
Join us next time when we observe the behavior and eating patterns of another inhabitant of Planet McGrath- the 17 year old.
I love Planet McGrath! I cannot wait for the next installment.
Makes me want to have a Chihuahua!