The Frogs Are Getting Smarter

I have a sweet outdoor shower — a wonderful thing in Texas. It’s the master shower. There is only a tub in the master bath. There’s a dinky indoor shower upstairs, and it’s become a badge of honor that I’ve never used it in the 10 years I’ve lived in this house.

I absolutely love my shower. So do the frogs. They come out a minute or so after the water comes on. I’m not sure if they’re just curious about where all the wet stuff is coming from or if they’re trying to avoid all the suds. I’ve always been fond of frogs, so this doesn’t bother me one bit.

My two border collies, Sadie and Kody, have always peacefully coexisted with them, and in fact seem a little afraid of them. Hey, if they’re not herdable, why bother, right?

But then Tip came along. She has decided that the frogs are obviously there for her entertainment, and joins me in the shower daily, eagerly awaiting their appearance. For awhile, a frog would come out and pretty much just hang out in one corner. If I noticed it, I’d pick it up and put it out of Tip’s reach, but lately she’s been getting pretty strategic about the whole thing and usually beats me to the poor little critter.

She snatches it up and trots it out into the yard, where she tries to get it to play with her. After much batting and tossing and barking, the unfortunate frog stops moving, and Tip loses interest.

Lately though, the frogs come out and immediately scamper to safer ground, as though they know what might be in store for them. Sometimes they even succeed. So how is this happening? The ones that met their unfortunate fate at the paws of my dog couldn’t exactly send word. Do they send “Danger! Danger!” signals as they’re carried off? Have they been sending scouts to watch the action?

Tagged as: Austin, border collies, frogs, Kody, outdoor shower, Sadie, Tip