PRAIRIE DOG RESCUE / CONTEST
By Raf Viniard
Out on the Missouri River fishing for trout , I encountered something that I least expected . I was standing about a third of the way out in the river when I saw a rat swimming towards me . At first I thought it was a muskrat but the closer it got , I realized it was a prairie dog looking for a place to get out of the cold water .
The current was pushing him down river as he gave it all he had . As he approached my knee , I decided it was not a good idea to let him rest on me , and I sure wasn ' t about to reach
Can you find the hidden prairie dog ? down and pick him up ; as tempting as it was . One of us wet and cold was plenty . I redirected his travel towards a beaver
dam in front of me , but the little fella was determined to head to the bank .
This prairie dog had nothing nice to say to his potential rescuer .
He crawled up on the bank , so cold and wet he just laid there for several minutes . He finally managed to get up into some grass to warm up . Being an opportunist , and to check on the little guy , I waded out of the river to get a picture . He was so well camouflaged , it took a while to find him . He was shaking from the cold and allowed me to photograph him in his misery . As I pushed the camera down closer , he let me know I was close enough and to leave him alone with a few hisses and barks . If you look closely at the picture , I think his claw at the forefront of the picture tells me where to go . I think he is ready for spring too !
Shawn Michalkiewicz of Libby , is the Winner of the Mini Stump Grill Contest ! Congratulations Shawn , enjoy !
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