Mud and Dog Poop - Oh Yeah!

We have several dogs. One is a little menace. If there is a tiny animal within reach, she will get it and kill it. A few weeks ago, it was three newborn bunnies. Tonight, it was a bat. Yes, a bat!

My son comes running in to tell me the dog has a bat so I go running outside, barefoot after a huge rain. When I see this dog flipping this bat around, I run outside and let loose with the loud swear word (it's the "thou shalt not" kind). I didn't realize my neighbors were outside in their pool until after I'd let loose with the swear word and started chasing the dog around. Great.

There I am yelling at the dog, running around their fenced in area and the dog: 1) won't come to me, 2) won't go in the house, and 3) won't stop torturing this poor bat. I don't think it's because I broke a commandment. The stupid dog just wouldn't leave this bat alone.

After ten minutes of chasing after this one dog, through mud and dog poop...did I mention the bare feet...I get the dog inside and go to check out the bat. It's pretty sad.

The bat is laying there making odd noises and looking pretty roughed up (like in not going to make it). My son goes to get the shovel for me so I can: 1) move it, 2) put it out of its misery, and 3) bury it.

By the time he gets back with the shovel, the little thing is still. I think it's dead until it starts chittering when I try to move it with the shovel. I back away and it wraps its wings around itself (protecting itself...hiding...whatever it was doing it made me cry). I can't put it out of its misery so I have my son go wake his dad up to take care of it.

He comes out bleary-eyed and takes the bat to the back of the property. We ended up leaving it in a pile of brush and old wood to let nature take its course (on the way there I apologized to the neighbors for the cussing as we walked by their pool where they were swimmming).

I'm not sure if we made the right choice. I feel really bad.

I am so NOT happy with the dog right now.

Edited to add: Checked the dog's rabies record just to make sure and she was due a few weeks ago for her rabies shot. I don't know if a few weeks makes a difference. Then my son told me his puppy stepped on the bat. I don't know if she was bit or not. She's not acting like it but bat bites are hard to find from what I can find online. She was too young to get her rabies shot when we got her a couple weeks ago and she's due for a rabies...about now. Wonderful.

So, I drag hubby back outside, in the dark, while it is raining, to look for the stupid bat. I'd rather them test the bat than quarantine (or test) our dogs. I'm thinking it was hurt and it's still in the same place or it died there. We're out there with a flashlight and shovel looking. The neighbors St. Bernard is growling at us and I am having visions of this mammoth dog coming over the fence to eat us. Nope, can't find the bat.

I don't know what this means but I'm stressing BIG time. We'll look again in the morning.