Prairie Dog Heaven

Living in the city of Calgary, Alberta is a lot of fun for someone like me that loves prairie dogs. Yes, I said it. I love prairie dogs.

Some people probably wouldn’t agree with me. In fact, there are probably a lot of people that loathe them.

Why do so many people loathe them? Well, for one, they dig holes everywhere and anywhere. See, prairie dogs live underground and they have extensive tunnels under the ground. It is these tunnels that have given them a bad name.

It has been known that livestock, wild animals, our pets and ourselves have stepped into these tunnels and have caused many broken bones. I have to admit that is a serious problem and one I don’t see a way of avoiding.

Prairie dogs also carry fleas and these fleas have been the cause of a deadly plague. We don’t need to have an epidemic of a deadly plague. We have enough to worry about here in Alberta, such as rising gas prices, fuel shortages and wildfires.

For me, however, I love seeing prairie dogs. What is the point of living in the prairies and not seeing them. Prairie dogs are a part of living in the prairies.

I am surprised though by the amount of prairie dogs I have seen and also the places I have seen them.

Living in a big city such as Calgary, one would think that you would only see prairie dogs in parks or rural areas. However, that is not the case. Just this morning, I saw a grassy area at an intersection of three very busy streets in the industrial area of town. It just amazes me how they survive there and also why they chose that spot to live. If they make the wrong move and step down off the grassy area, they will get hit by the vast amount of cars and trucks that drive by them.

The funny thing is, it doesn’t seem to bother them. They seem to be flourishing. They seem happy and very busy.

I think what I love about prairie dogs is that they are so cute. I also love that fact that there is always one or two in a group that will stand guard and warn others of any danger approaching. They look like little soldiers.

As you can probably tell, I am an animal lover and prairie dogs are high on my list of my most favourite animal.