Tonight's picture was taken on February 24, 2009. Mattie was home between hospital visits. Mattie loved all sorts of water play and when the Mattie couldn't get to the tub, I tried to make the tub come to him. We set up a waterproof table cloth on the floor and brought out big pots filled with water. Mattie had a great time washing his vehicles and playing. One thing about Mattie, was that he really did force those of us around him to think outside the box. As there was always more than way to get something done. With Mattie, I was motivated and always rose to the challenge.
Quote of the day: There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. ~ Jane Austen
Rats, better known for inhabiting sewers and dumpsters, also love to settle in the innards of vehicles in cooler months (see the photo above, this is what a rat did under the hood of a car.... builds a nest out of rubbish and other found items). The warmth and shelter attracts them, but it's the wires and hoses that entertain them: Rats' teeth grow constantly, and they gnaw on things to keep their teeth trim. Inside an engine bay, they can blow fuses, start fires and even total cars. Blame is often cast on the soy-based wiring insulation that many auto manufacturers now use, which is considered ecologically sounder than the petroleum-derived insulation it replaced. The lawsuits have argued that it is also tastier to rodents and therefore defective, and that car warranties should cover rodent damage.
Car owners in DC report significant car damage due to rodents. Try the $7,000 variety. Some car owners are so fed up that they have done one of two things..... 1) moved to a new home with enclosed parking, or 2) made it their life's mission to find rat deterrents to protect their car from further damage. Everything from wrapping car wires in sticky tape and hot pepper extract, to ultrasound waves, peppermint oil, owl decoys, and even electrified tiles under the car hood. There is even a man in San Diego, CA who started his own website: https://www.howtopreventratsfromeatingcarwires.com/.
All I know is I am very tired of seeing rats taking over our city. Of course Sunny LOVES it, and enjoys his evening walks, because he is focused on the art of the rat hunt! Not something we taught him. He is either naturally like this given he is a herding dog, or was taught to do this by his previous owner. Either case, my joke is the DC rat patrol teams could use Sunny! He is better at finding and locating rats than Orkin!
No comments:
Post a Comment