The one with "thee best" nose

This is Ivy.

Ivy is a "Country dog".

She likes to go out and explore.

She is often found in our yard, by herself, and just smelling the ground.

She doesn't mind if the other dogs, Zoey and Ozkar join her, but she is fine if she is left all alone.

I recently spent 2 weeks in So Cal and took Ivy with me.

She loved riding in the car and not having to share the window with anyone else.

She perked up when we got near cow pens, or turkey farms and slept through miles and miles of desert and interstate.  Her nose Knows when it needs to work.

She loves to Go in the Car. She runs to the drawer to get her leash when she hears "do you wanna go for a ride".

So when we arrived in San Diego Ivy just made herself at home with her little sister Sadie.  They played so cute together, they wrestled, they slept, they ate (shared the same dish) and just hung out like sisters do.

But then her nose kicked into gear.

In the back yard there is the skeleton of a pond.  It had sprung a leak so the people who do ponds came and looked at it and said "yep, it's broken", and they left.  They left the remains of roots and debris on the slates of rocks.  So, being the strong mother that I am, I put the rocks and the roots back around the pond so it looked better.

Ivy thought it was a great place to explore.  And explore she did.

When ever I couldn't find Ivy, this is where she was. 

Snooping.

Always Snooping!  Smelling!  Snorting!  Smelling! 

And yes, I figured she was on the scent of something.  I hoped it wasn't a snake.  Maybe a lizard.

I could hear her talking to herself....

Sniff, sniff, "yes, yes, I think it is here".  Sniff, sniff.

She was thinking "yes, there is diffently something here".

Then I could hear her thinking... "Hey, guys, over here!"  "There is something over here!"

So I continued to watch her.  That is what good moms do, they watch.

And they listen.

And they SEE!!

After an entire day of digging, smelling, sniffing, and staying on task, she found what she was after.

She dropped it proudly at my feet.

Yes, this miniture Schnauzer, who is bred to catch rodents DOES.

She found Mickey Mouse.

Being the good mom that I am, I could hear her thinking,m "You're Dead To Me".

Yep, that is exactly what she was thinking.  She was tired of digging and smelling and snooping for the little rodent the entire day.

And she was perfectly, exactly, correctly correct.  Mickey Mouse was dead.  Very, Very Dead.

Those who were gathered around to witness this final tribute to Mickey Mouse were not sad.  They knew Mickey Mouse had lived a long a happy life.  He had made tons of money.  He had served his country well, and all good things must come to an end.  And even some things that aren't so good.  But to the end they must come.

And with this end in sight.... Ivy turned slowly away from Mickey Mouse.  She left the disposal of that warm soft body to others to deal with, and she quietly and reverently went back to her task to search for more rodents.

Just as I was walking away I heard her thinking "There must be more".