I finally found the little bastard ...

Fortunately for me (unfortunately for him) the trap actually did the hunting.  (Or he committed suicide. I'm really not sure exactly how delicate the rodent psyche is. Maybe the fact that he was completely surrounded by traps and faced giant, carnivorous creatures at every turn drove him to it.  Whichever, he's no longer irritating my dogs!)

That's how it all started actually. The dogs acting weird.  (Ok, my dogs are weird all the time but this was different.  Growling at things I couldn't see, always wanting inside the pantry, ears constantly locked in that raised, WTF position, etc.  (I once caught the boxer outside sharpening a rib bone I had given him.)

The mouse never really had a chance.

Anyway, mice are a pain in a lot of peoples butts here in the desert southwest, especially in winter.  Shooting them isn't really an option.  (Unless you're a master carpenter and have an insanely patient family. I fall into neither of those categories.)

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
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Getting a cat wasn't an option either.  Not with a pit bull, a boxer, a chihuahua and a weird little white corgi/dachshund looking thing running around. Poisons are potentially dangerous and traps just suck.  (Especially when your dog wakes you up in the middle of the night yelping after sniffing one.  I told her not to try jacking the peanut butter but she listens about as well as Buzz does.)

Anyway, I learned something while dealing with Mickey.  If you find yourself with fuzzy, dirty little trespassers; throw down some mint!!

  1. They have a really strong sense of smell and the really HATE the smell of mint. They'll avoid it like a Justin Bieber concert.  (And if there's any left, YOU can make mojitos!)
  2. Place a few mint plants around the house. They hate the smell, but you'll probably really like it!
  3. Soak a few cotton balls in pure peppermint oil and leave behind the fridge, under the sink, etc... (OIL ... the real stuff only!  Extracts and similar things, they'll see right through.)
  4. Add some of the oil to whatever you clean your counters with also. Windex, Fabuloso, whatever ... that way you're always spreading it around!
Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
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You may be constantly trying to get your pets and kids to quit licking the floor but it's non-toxic so, after the first few warnings, make yourself another mojito and let 'em go nuts!!

OR ... you can get a hawk .......

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