One of the earliest things I have ever seen in the kennel, after the dogs dug it up, was an old black cherry tree stump. They had a grand time uncovering that and using it as a chew toy.
The scariest thing I have found so far was a condom. I still haven't figured out which is scarier: that someone tossed it in the kennel, here out in the boonies or that the dogs picked it up on the main road while we were going for a walk. Which do you think is worse?
There was a summer a few years ago where I found three dead birds in the kennel. Not on the same day, just the same summer. I thought the birds were just picking one of the maple trees over the kennel to die in. Then, in talking with other mushers, I learned that Sibes can actually snatch flying birds out of the air. The other mushers had seen their dogs do it. Sneaky hunters, these Sibes.
I've also found a dead mouse in one of the water buckets. It was a Fall morning and I was cleaning, what I thought were, fallen maple leaves out of the bucket. Yeah, maple leaves are really soft and squishy. Another year, in a different water bucket, I found a spotted salamander that had apparently gotten lost on its way to the pond. Moles are another great find. You'd think they'd learn to stay out of the kennel the number of them I've found dead.
One day when I was cleaning the kennel, I found an old rusted knife the dogs had dug up. I mentioned it to my dad since he knows more about my property's history than I do. He figured it was one of our ancestor's hunting knives. I kept it as a decoration since it is the coolest thing the dogs have unearthed so far. Another day in the other kennel, I found an old rusted skeleton key. That one has me more curious as I'd like to know what it goes too!
This summer has been especially interesting so far. I have found a gardner snake along the edge of one of the kennels. I tried saving it, but it slithered into the leaves and I could catch it. The gardner snake eventually made its way into the kennel where Gambit decided it was a danger and bit it in two.
Then the other day I was saying hi to the dogs in the smaller kennel and Quin threw something at me off the top of one of the dog houses. I thought it was just part of the knot rope I had given them to play with. Nope, it was a dead rat. I can't figure out if it's a brown rat or black rat. I think brown, but I'm still not sure. No, I did not wash the dirt off for a better look! (All the white fibers? Fur, the dogs are still blowing their summer coats.) I'd really like to know where it came from. The neighbor's farm and barns? My garage?
What have your dogs discovered in your kennel?
