I documented Rosie’s front yard excavation project a couple of weeks ago.

She has continued her efforts towards this project since, periodically appearing very intent, showing up at the back door with paws and chest full of dirt and/or mud (we’ve been going through a rainy patch of late), but with no clear evidence of a positive outcome.

And, it should be noted, that it was quite possible that she was having success at catching the critters and simply consuming them as she catches them. As I’ve noted before, the dogs are pretty effective vermin hunters, and I very much suspect that they supplement their scheduled meals with critter snacks.

So maybe, just maybe, I reasoned, she’s catching dozens of subterranean snipes, and I’m just not seeing it. Maybe - and to be honest, it salves my metaphorical wounds in relation to the craters in my landscaping.

But then, a couple of days ago, this appeared:

I’m pretty sure they’d mount it’s head on the wall, you know, if they had a wall.

Now, I had assumed that what Rosie was going after was moles - I’ve periodically seen evidence of an ongoing mole eradication program conducted by the canine crew. But this fine looking - if unfortunate - fellow appears to a ground squirrel.

Ground squirrels, like their tree-dwelling, furry-tailed cousins, are among the critters that we typically haven’t seen much of out here at the homestead. They are otherwise all over the place - driving and cycling around the countryside I frequently see them making their ill-advised mad dashes across the roadways. Just not on our property.

While we’ve seen the return of the rabbits, for better or worse, this is the only ground squirrel I can ever recall seeing on the property in our 11 years or so out here. Of course, if the current situation is representative of the type of welcome intrepid explorers can expect, I suppose we shouldn't expect an influx of new settlers.

So - Rosie appears to have been successful. But, in light of catching this single ground squirrel I couldn't help but look at the yard...

This could be the beginning point for a very short subway system…

...and ask Rosie:

Me: “Rosie, do you think maybe this is maybe a Pyrrhic victory?”

Rosie: “I’m not sure - what does ‘Pyrrhic’ mean?”

Which is clearly just her playing dumb as a distraction - every knows that herding dogs are well versed in the Greek classics.