If you have a passion for wild rats, then this isn’t the post for you. However, if you like it when wild rats invade the home and get their necks snapped, well, I guess this is the place to be.
The other night my wife and I thought Cali came in through the dog door and hit the dryer. There was a loud metallic bang. But then Cali, hearing the same noise, came out of the bedroom.
Rat trap.
Friends visiting this holiday season will see this guy’s head mounted on my wall. “Is that a rat head?” they’ll ask.
“Damn straight, it is. Hunted it for a week.”
Needless to say, my wife, claiming she got two votes, elected me to take a look at the trap behind the dryer. At first I didn’t see anything. But after sliding the dryer out a bit, jackpot: one gray rat with his neck in the trap. Gross.
(But not as gross as the episodes of The Walking Dead I’ve been watching lately – zombie killing is a messy business and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many heads smashed or shot in my entire life, which is pretty exciting compared to a life without flesh-eating zombies roaming the streets, though some of my meth-addicted neighbors could be mistaken for the undead.)
Thus, with all of this killing in mind, I thank the rat for dying cleanly.
So, no more sleeping with a 7-iron in one hand, a flashlight in the other, and my failed rat-hunting black lab at my feet. The rat is finally dead.
And, so far, no evidence of any others in the house.
Lesson learned: each night, before going to sleep, put the damn wood cover in the opening of the dog door.
The Unknown Cystic 
Oh my goodness and I freak out if I get a little occasional mouse! Glad my doggie door doesn’t have to worry about rats in Colorado. That thing looks big enough to help pull Santa’s sleigh…geesh.
Sherri,
All of my replies are going to start out with, “sorry it’s taken me so long to reply.”
I grew up in Colorado. I don’t remember having to worry about rats either. I think they’d stick out in the snow. Yes, it was big. And I was glad to get it.
So nice to hear from you. Wishing you a healthy 2013.
UC
Uhh not enough warning! Eeww! Haha
Butta,
Sorry about the lack of warning. You sure you didn’t look anyway? 🙂
UC
That rat is HUGE! Great job catching that sucker!
We are Walking Dead fans in this house, too. It just keeps getting better with each episode. We grieved a little when we heard we had to wait a few months to see the next episodes…
I hope you and the family are well. Happy Holidays!
Stacey,
Hope you’re feeling well. I like Walking Dead, but this split season idea is bulls**t. Same thing happened with Breaking Bad. ARGGGGGHHHHHHHH.
UC