in the great smoky mountains

in the great smoky mountains, originally uploaded by pr9000.

Sometimes I wonder what goes through Trotter's mind during the day. Is he happy? I'd think so, because he has a great disposition and seems about as relaxed as a happy dog would be ... but I wonder if being a domesticated animal is frustrating for him.

When he looks outside and sees a squirrel, all the training and commands go out the window and his tail goes straight up and he's ready to pounce. He rarely is allowed to go after it, though, and even if we do let him outside, the squirrel is up a tree before Trotter gets off the back porch. And when we take a walk in the construction area behind the house -- always off leash, of course -- he's so out of tune with being a hunter that I see the rabbit before Trotter does. So even when he's unfettered by rules and chains, he still doesn't "get it."

This morning he was watching some blackbirds that have invaded our feeders, and he was mildly interested in killing one and eating it. But he seemed kind of half-heartedly into it, and I wonder if he was going through the motions – for me, for himself, or for the long-lost ancestors who ate things more interesting than kibble from Costco.