Caught a mouse and played with it, didn't kill it

[amontague]

This morning Baby Bear and I got caught in a drenching downpour while out on our walk. When we got back to the house, I just wanted to go in, but Baby Bear wanted to stay out, he was looking under the deck. I have a fenced back yard, so I left him out there while I went in. When I went to the door to check on him a few minutes later, he was away from the deck, out in the yard playing with a mouse. He was patting the mouse with his paw, exactly the same way he does with his toys. I called him and, good boy, he left the mouse and came to me. The mouse took off running back under the deck as soon as Baby Bear's attention turned to me. It didn't seem to be hurt (no doubt it was scared out of it's mind). Once Baby Bear was inside I started drying him off and I found that his belly was caked with mud, as has happened before when he crawls under the deck. So I'm thinking, he saw the mouse under the deck and crawled under to get it, chased the thing out, and then went to play with it.

What I can't figure is what Baby Bear was thinking. Did he think this was a toy that moved? Or did he realize the mouse was alive and was treating it like his doggie friends (he has canine friends as big as a Bernese Mt. Dog and as small as a Fox Terrier)? His prey drive wasn't activated when the mouse took off running because he continued coming to my call (or training has paid off more than I expected). And he clearly could have killed the mouse with one bite, or even a hard step (I could see that his paw was twice the size of the mouse).

Aside from being grossed out that there's a mouse (or mice) under my deck, I just don't know quite what to make of Baby Bear's reaction.

[tla0126]

I think they just think they are little animals... My Beau used to play with frogs at my apartments... He would do the same exact thing you mentioned (he scared the pee out of one frog actually, it was hysterical). Come to think of it, he will do it with crickets too.... Anything that moves, he's very gentle with, it amazes me actually...

[harleychik66]

My male rottie mix Dude would be the same way. Anything small he will not play but protect. A couple of years ago we had a nest of baby bunnies in our back yard. Our GSD Niko wanted to dig them out of their nest and kill them. Dude would not let Niko near the nest. When we let them out Dude would lay beside it and make sure nothing happend to the babies. When they started to come out and hop away he actually walked beside them to get them to safety. He has always been that way with anything tiny. I have said that he has such a maternal instinct that he would lactate for all the little babies if he could.

[OnyxGold1]

My Mason is exactly the same way with mice....drives me crazy.....I HATE MICE!!!!!!!

I have often that the the way Mason is with mice reminds me almost of catlike behavior......THUMP the big paw bats it around and he jumps around almost tormenting it but never killing it. What I find the weirdest is that he will pack the live mouse around in his mouth spitting it out sporadically, batting it around and then picking it up again....often all you can see is the tail sticking out When I finally make him DROP IT....the mouse will stagger away dazed beyond belief.....reminds me almost of how a cat would torment a mouse before killing it.

Heather

[dnkayser]

6 month old Keli has started bringing big black ants into the house from the front porch to play with. He'll bring it in, spit it out unharmed, and then have the best time trying to keep track of it. I'm not so sure I like this new past time, but it is entertaining for both of us.

Donna and Keli

[amontague]

Thanks to everyone for replying. It's nice to know that my dog isn't so different after all.

[Shane]

Somebody has GOT to shoot video the next time their Rottie does this!

[blisscodisco]

My old male likes to "play" with mice, baby bunnies etc. Will paw them and if they sit there will push them with his nose to get them to move again. He never intentionally killed anything but did squish a mouse enough I had to get hubby to put it out of it's misery. But my female will go after mice and dispatch in one shake. Interesting how different they can be in their reactions. It is funny to watch and I would LOVE a picture of the mouse tail hanging out of the mouth too funny.

[missingmarley]

These posts are hysterical! My dog loves the annoying cicadas we get around here - they seem to half-die then lay around on the ground - he'd give them a big sniff, they'd buzz their wings (and they can BUZZ!) and tickle his nose - he'll shake it off then go back for more. The other dog just ate them.