In Praise of Prairie Dogs

VIDEOS

AND PICTURES!

Hello Sweethearts!

“I love you!”

Got snuggle?

I’ve been very busy lately: promoting good health, editing a raw food cook book, writing articles and managing my two musicians.

In the midst of it all, I decided to take a little break and go to the Turtle Back Zoo for an hour or so, which is just 20 minutes from my home. Being around animals makes me so happy!

One thing I learned today that I never knew before — wow, how playful and affectionate Prairie Dogs are!

Perhaps in the past, when I saw them, it was too hot because prior to today all I ever saw them do was stand up and beg — which is very adorable.

But today, oh boy, what a treat! First of all, there were a lot of smaller ones in the mix. I never saw babies before and they were super energetic: jumping and wrestling with each other. AND DANCING AND KISSING?! Whoa! How cute and animated! If you search for “Prarie Dogs” on You Tube you can see a ton of videos of all this cuteness. There is even some where people keep them as house pets and they get along super with CATS!

Prairie Dogs aren’t really dogs, they are burrowing rodents. They were named “dogs” because they bark. I haven’t heard them bark yet. I could hear them bark on You Tube, but I want to wait it out and have that first-time experience next time I go to the zoo.

They remind me of a cross between a groundhog, a ferret and a guinea pig. They are just too darn cute.

They are truly gentle creatures. Today I saw them standing up, in begging position, eating grass. A little bird came by and took the grass out of the Prairie Dog’s paws — two or three times — and the Prairie Dog didn’t even flinch or get upset. But according to Wikipedia, they do fight with competitors and have a “rut” period that lasts several months where their personalities change and they could get aggressive. Regardless, they are social animals and think of humans as part of their colony. They will even come when their name is called!

I look forward to seeing these fascinating little critters again sometime … soon!