Pork Chop is a housedog. Being a 9 1/2 pound Russian Rat Terrier places him at the bottom of the neighborhood dog food chain, well below the Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Bull Mastiffs that confidently stroll past our yard either on or off leashes. For this and one other reason, Pork Chop does not go outside alone; the second reason being that he honestly thinks he is a 200 pound Great Dane.

One day Porky scooted out our back door, making a break for freedom into our fenced back yard. The first I knew of him being gone was ferocious sounds of canine combat from out back . We all rushed out to see what happened.

Pork Chop was having a canine conniption. He was covered from nose to tail in wet dirt and barking down into a huge newly dug hole in the ground at a medium sized Gopher Turtle, enfortressed but unharmed inside its shell much to the dog’s frustration.

Porky ended up in the bathtub and the turtle was freed in a neighbor’s yard.

We’re still laughing about Pork Chop’s walkabout.