Rodent Spotlight: Prairie Dog

There are many, many species of rodents out there--far more than I will be able to make blogs about. Not every species will inspire books, cartoons, and movies to make characters of them, and I understand this. But I cannot help but be rather stupefied by how the fascinating prairie dog has been overlooked.

All you must do to enjoy these critters is simply watch their daily habits from afar. They seem to almost mimic the social structure of people, and it is quite fun to observe. Now, I know that most humans don't burrow under the ground to make their homes, but we do--at least--HAVE homes and entryways that others recognize as private property. We live on streets and form communities with very distinct social structures. We even visit each other once in a while for favors or simply to have a chat. The same seems to be true for these eccentric rodents.

You'll notice that these creatures live in a bustling community made up of holes. Visits and chatter are a common thing. Sometimes, one seems to act as constable and dictate either laws or the day's general news of fascination to the masses, and they all listen with grave interest. Of course, they may not be saying anything at all, but what fun it is to imagine that they are!

It was a common thing for wagon travelers to pass by a prairie dog "village" and see them all come out to watch the spectacle as it went by. It was like seeing a rare passing comet that everyone went outdoors just so they could see it. The resulting tableau of the image brings to mind a simple town filled with simple folk who marvel about simple things. We have very similar occurrences in our own human society.

The only notable fiction that I discovered concerning the prairie dogs was a short-lived cartoon called "Little Dogs on the Prairie." It was a Christian show made by the same people responsible for the famed radio drama "Adventures in Odyssey," which I was a fan of at a much younger age. "Little Dogs on the Prairie" only lasted three episodes, but I will attest to it being top-notch entertainment.

The show portrayed the rodents as living in an old west village. Everyone there was simple-minded country folk who would find some light adventure as something new would show up in the village. The hilarious thing that always got me about the show was that the buildings were just fronts (as one might find on a movie set.) Once you pass through the door to one of the rodent's homes, you would find the hole leading down into their actual abode. I thought this was terribly clever.

For myself, I believe that prairie dogs should be portrayed as a social community--if done at all. A lone prairie dog would quite literally be a mistake. Here is a rodent that is all about the social and family structure that we all sometimes take for granted. We can learn from them! It is a shame that they have not been given more chances at fame. Perhaps, I shall have to be the one to do it. Only time will tell.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoyed it, please comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. TTFN!