She's a TREE climber, I tell ya!

Betty has found a new *ahem* skill. She has decided she is either a cat or a squirrel and should be able to climb trees.



OK, not TREES, but a fairly tall and sturdy yew bush next to our garage. I suppose it's about ten feet tall judging by the picture and where the top of the garage door meets the siding.


It all started about 30 days ago. Apparently she heard the birds that sometimes rest in the yew and decided to investigate by standing on her hind feet and searching the yew. She went so far as to stand on her hind legs and pogo straight up to try to see into the bush. She was fixated on the birds and was very reluctant to come back inside.




It's Nebraska. It's COLD... I shaved her butt into a Continental. You would think the girl would figure it out. Anyway for the last 30 days or so we really haven't ventured far from the front door when the dogs need to go out, and I thought the birds in the yew were forgotten.



WRONG!



Yesterday the temperature soared into the 30's, the driveway was dry and the three of them needed a walk. Off we go and as we rounded the corner to go down the driveway Betty bolted for the yew. Bouncing around on her hind legs to see if there were birds in there.




This activity wasn't getting her where the action was, which was about 3/4 of the way up the yew.




I could actually see the cogs turning in her brain as she thought this through. She dropped to the ground and backed up a few feet, glanced at me, back at the yew and did the algebra in her head.




"So, if I go X fast and launch Y high, I should land where the birds are."




"Okay, I need to back up more and go REALLY fast!!!"




And Annie Clark said poodles would just be a fourth at bridge and tell naughty stories!




When she was about 20 feet down the driveway Betty slammed it into fourth gear and hit the afterburners. She literally vaulted into the yew about five feet up. To say the least, I was shocked and laughing hysterically. I watched as she poked her head in here and then there to find the birds. Suffice it to say they all flew out the other side when she sprang into the bush. She was clinging to the outside of the yew with her hind feet braced on a couple of those sturdy branches while grasping the upper branches with her front feet. After a few minutes of her looking and not finding any birds, I figured I had better help her out of the bush before I had to explain to Belinda how Betty broke her leg.




Life with Betty is never dull.....