So this morning I dropped my car off at the handy garage at the end of our road to have my winter tires taken off (I know, I know, it’s a little late, but hey, it’s been a long winter and after the hail we got on Saturday, I’m not convinced it’s over yet) and I brought Ruby, the golden retriever, with me. She loves to walk, there’s very little traffic on the road, and she’s good at coming and sitting at my feet when a car does come by, so we usually don’t bother with a leash. I just happened to have it with me today, though, since I prefer to have her attached to me in the parking lot of the garage, which is on the main road. And it was lucky that I did, because half way home, I saw the most GIGANTIC snapping turtle I’ve ever seen crossing the road ahead of us. This is the time of year the females leave the water to lay their eggs, and I believe she was on her way back from doing that. I got the leash on Ruby just before she spotted the turtle, and she went a bit nuts. I’m not sure what would have happened if they’d come nose to nose, but I’ve heard that snapping turtles can take off a person’s finger or toes, and I didn’t want her losing any doggie-parts. I didn’t have a camera with me, but this is a shot of one I took a few years ago:
