There are lots of dangers to watch out for when one is roughing it out on 43 acres of Ozarks wilderness. We have pygmy rattlesnakes, copperheads, black widow spiders and brown recluses to contend with, plus the occasional hungry bear and large cat moving through. I had never quite categorized the lowly armadillo as worthy of the title, but after last week, I now consider them one of the most dangerous little creatures out there. Let me explain why...
Our dogs love to chase armadillos, and frequently play "dillo ball" any time one is stupid enough to roam onto their turf, where they roll it into a ball and bap it back and forth across the acreage until the poor thing dies of fright or manages to skitter away. "Poor thing"...humpf.
Aside from digging up our gardens and flowers and shrubs and most everything else we try to plant, those little monsters make holes - deep holes -- some that go about straight down and then curve -- holes that are the absolute perfect circumference for a size 8 foot, such as mine.
Yep, you guessed it - I found an armadillo hole alright - with my foot. One broken and badly sprained ankle later and I am now relegated to crutches for four to six weeks, and having to ask my darling Marine to drive me to and from work every day for the week until the doctor clears me to drive again.
So when you're making out that list of dangerous Ozark denizens, be sure to put A for Armadillos at the top - and encourage those dogs to play some more dillo ball whenever you can.
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