Your thoughts... - Page 2

I've often wondered if the sound of bats bothers them. I'm sure if I heard nothing but a high-pitched clickclickclickclickclick above my head  at night it would annoy me. I suppose some dogs are more worked up by it than others.  

The dog can both see them and hear them.
All tho they are tremendously important creatures they can also harbor Rabies.

Normally they would not bother dogs or humans I would show them respect from a distance.

I haven't noticed my girl paying any attention to the bats here but she watches the birds and jetliners and has tried to chase the planes going over.  I'm sure your pup hears the bats.

Just be careful Keith, over 10% of all bats in the PNW test positive for rabies...  If he DOES catch one, chances are it is because it is ill. We tested a lot of bats at animal control, and yup, lots of them were rabid.  Might want to make sure his titer is up for rabies...

Yes, bats are genetically cousins of canids and do harbor rabies.  A good rule of thumb is that if you can get close enough to one to touch it, you shouldn't because it is probably sick and rabies is a likely candidate.  The one I've seen him chasing the past couple of nights is pretty active so I doubt he'll be able to get hold of it...but he'll still try!

He also like moths, birds...aw heck, like I said, anything that moves.  Good luck using a broom or a hose around him...or a vacuum, or a shovel, or a Swisher or a power saw, or [insert some yet to be discovered fascination here]...I took him to Lowe's and he bit the wheels on the shopping cart!

I remember years ago I had a litter of puppies who were about 5 weeks old.  I was watching them out of the kitchen window while I was doing some dishes and noticed that they were all way out in the yard jumping up and then falling down on their butts.  Took me a while to figure out that they were after lightning bugs...I was so proud!

I had a professor at the UW tell me they were related to primates...  but they do seem rather fox like...

I agree  with Moons on the seeing also

Ok, I'm pretty much over the bat thing and will be bringing him in at dusk for the remainder of the warm months.  The reasons are threefold: first, the bats get pretty close and aren't very fast...I can see him eventually catching one and, rabies or no, I don't want to deal with the aftermath.  Secondly, I'm always out with him and I'm not that crazy about how close they're getting to me.  Finally, it jacks up his prey drive to the extent that he is not only ignoring me, a circumstance in which I try to avoid putting him anyway, but it doesn't magically switch off when I bring him in and gets redirected to the cats...not good.  

Not that it is amazing in any way,
but my dog has discovered the flying squirrels that rob the bird feeder at night.

No special skills at work, just a new play thing.
They really don't pay any attention to the dog or me,  I have stood there and touched them many times with my hand.
I guess the only thing they really fear are Owls.

Cute little buggers.

P.S.
Speaking of scent, we had a Skunk incident a few weeks back, that has not blown over yet !!
If you get my drift.

LOL,
Moons.