Always trust your dog's instincts

[Pburgh]

For the past few months when I have taken Ernie out to go potty, he has always shown a great deal of interest in my Weber gas grill, especially the drip pan. I paid no attention to it. Today I decided to grill some chicken. Before I turned the grill on I decided to clean out the drip pan since I hadn't cleaned it out in a couple months.

I took it out and found a cute little mouse nest!!!! Thinking it was abandon I started walking toward the edge of my yard to dispose of the nest. As I did mama and two little babies hanging off of her teets climbed over the edge of the pan and scurried into my oriental garden. I just couldn't kill them and I let them go (feeling sorry I had disturbed them). Mama was moving pretty slowly to find a safe place.

I should have watched Ernie's interest and acted sooner to remove that nest before those babies were born.

Just think if I were not such a Type A person and decided to light that grill without cleaning that drip pan!!!!!!!!!!!!! I might have grilled mommy and the little ones. I love little mice. Sorry, they do no good but they are so cute and I had a pet white mouse when I was growing up.

[Janice]

You did a lot better than I would have done. I would have run off screaming............................

[JenBayles]

I opened my smoker after several months of disuse, and out jumps a huge RAT. AAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!

[O Town]

Note to self to check grill before next cook out. I know what I will be thinking about the next few hundred times I go to smoke or grill out. LOL.

pburgh, you did what I would have done in a heartbeat. I couldn't kill them either, no way. And thankfully you did clean the pan, what a horrible thought thinking about them being left in there.