Kenneth Albrecht age ll of Houston, Texas:

What is a prairie dog?

This fat' sassy bobtail should appear in all the movies of pioneer days. For the prairie dog played a role in the Old West, Nowadays he is not so plentiful. He was far too fond of our cattle fodder and the ranehmen had to cut down his numbers. In the old days, he was there to cheer up the covered wagoners on their weary way over the Great Plains and through the Rockies, The prairie dog is a town dweller. Millions of the furry fellows often lived in a town of burrows and barricades covering miles and miles. He is still with us, but in fewer numbers and in more remote places,

The fancy name for the prairie dog is eynomys! which means the dog‑mouse, He is certainly not a dog and only very, very distantly related to the mouse. He and the mouse belong to the huge Rodent clan: the gnawers. Our fatty belongs to the squirrel family of the rodent clan, though he couldn’t prove it by that cute little bobtail. He is a burrow‑building ground squirrel with a voice like a playful puppy plus the ability to whistle through his teeth.

That yapping, growling„ barking voice earned him the name prairie dog, He used it to warn the whole prairie dog town as the covered wagons rolled over the prairies, For the smart fellows post sentries, The lookouts sit up straight on their haunches, bright little eyes watching the distance; Suddenly one lets out a piercing whistle through his front teeth. This signal means that suspects are approaching the town. The questionable party may be a badger, a fox, a stoat, an eagle, a man ‑ or a covered wagon.

At the whistle signal, all the town members stop their business and sit up straight to look around. If the suspect timidly veers off, the alert is over and everyone returns to his games or chores. If the suspect comes bravely on, the whole town, starts to yap. These puppy noises sound very bola and sassy. Most unwelcome visitors turn tail and flee in the opposite direction. But not those huge two‑legged creatures that ride horses and drive covered wagons.

These bold travelers ride right on through the prairie dog town. But not, however, over the prairie dogs. These little smarties have scampered to safety long before humans set foot on their property. Each flees to his own burrow, protesting all the way, A few brave heroes turn around just inside their‑burrows, They continue to growl, mutter and fling protests from below ground until the invaders have rolled on their way.

The prairie dog is native to southern Canada, through western United States and down into Mexico, There are two cousins. The black‑tailed prairie dog grows to be a fat foot long plus three inches of stubby bobtail, He may weigh three pounds. The white‑tailed prairie dog is somewhat smaller, Both wear fur coats of honey blond or ginger brown: Blackie's black and Whitie's white are at the very tip of their cute little bobtails.

There is one mystery about the prairie dog, His burrow reaches about twelve feet below the ground. The first section goes almost straight down before it levels off. He digs his burrow with his front paws head first, Nobody seems to know how he carries up the dirt as he goes down. He doesn’t kick it up behind him and, unlike some squirrels, he has no cheek pouches to tote it to the surface.