Our Hero

We joke alot about Toby being a big baby. We say that if someone broke in he would lead them past the paintings that look nice to the ones that are actually worth something. We joke that he would bring someone right down to the office an show them where all the computer stuff is. We say that, for the cost of a steak, Toby would help them carry things out of the house.

So when Toby was losing his mind barking this morning I chalked it up to a dog approximately half a block away walking it's owner. But no.... Toby was protecting the house from a predator trying to sneak up from the back...



A big ol' snapping turtle. And he wasn't a bit afraid of the dog. I have no doubt that if we hadn't gone outside to show him to Brenna that he would have come right up on the patio and knocked on the door. "Candygram."



I wish you could see the talons he was sporting. At least 2 inches long. And "spikes" on feet and tail. And his sharp beak. We didn't get too close because, contrary to popular belief, this guy was pretty quick.

I'm not sure if you can really tell how much of a climb he had from the creek in the back yard. We have quite a hill, Brenna only recently has been able to climb it. It can't have been easy for this guy.



And then, minutes after we came in, he was gone. I could see a faint path back down to the creek where his shell-belly had flattened the grass.