Triatharat & Predestination

Did you know that rats are awesome swimmers? Get back, Michael Phelps, we have your competition right here, Mr. !! Yeah, I never thought about it either until last week. Our Jack/Rat terrier, Ella was barking at something in the pool one night last week. Me: Another frog, no doubt. Ella! Be quiet!!!. Ella: Bark! Bark! BARK!!!! So out to the porch/pool I go and turn on the pool light. Me:EEEEE! It's a snake! Ella get the hell away from that...no wait...IT'S A RAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!! People...let me tell you, it was doing some serious mogating around our pool using it's tail as a propeller(I should say--flagellate) and sticking it's little ratty nose above the water like a pink snorkel! Honestly, it looked like a giant sperm swimming for it's life. Well, I dash back into the house trampling the rest of the family as they were running to see what the screaming was all about. I grabbed my video camera and start in with the filming while curt was thinking of a way to get it out of the pool. He wanted to dip it out with the pool net and "Ratapult"' it over the fence into the neighbor's yard, but that was kyboshed by Sam, our Animal Right's activist. Will thought the rat would have a great ride and story to tell his Ratty friend's---"Free work-out and carnival rides over at the Niemeier's". By the time the rat had made it's 3rd lap,with Ella nipping at it's nose, I had taken moving and still pics and Curt had retrieved a live rat trap from the garage. On the way to making a 4th lap, Curt scooped the water loving varmint up like he was scooping sugar from a sack.

Notice the Rat tail sticking out of the trap door...EEEWWWW!
Ella thought Christmas had come early. Alas it was not to be.Curt packed said rat off to the Presbyterian Church about a mile away. I thought the rat would be good with that outcome... After all, maybe he was Presbyterian and all of this was predestined. :)