SSAL’s yard is so overgrown that it’s looking a lot like a rain forest. In fact, I took this picture from my office window as I was looking down into SSAL’s yard and I was frightened by what I saw. There is no option on the Baltimore City 311 service type list for lost Amazonian tribes inhabiting back yards.
Because the grass is so high in his yard, the rats have lots of cover and aren’t even the slightest bit shy about venturing out of their tunnels during daylight hours. SSAL’s yard is between my yard and Mr. Brown’s yard and Mr. Brown and I both have dogs that are obsessed with the Vietcong-esque rats trying to make their way from the tunnels of Cu Chi to the ripe garbage in the alley.
Whenever a rat creeps out into the grass, my dog and Mr. Brown’s dog start losing their minds barking at it. They run up and down along the fence, changing direction in whichever way the rat starts running. The rat, sensing one dog chasing it, scampers in a different direction only to be intercepted by the other dog. It’s just like watching Pong on an Atari 2600, except with the threat of acquiring a communicable disease. You should come over and see it with your own eyes because it’s amazing. I bet you didn’t know there was an urban version of Pong, did you?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 8: 39 am |
There isn’t an option for the Amazonian tribes, but there is one for high grass and weeds, and they even ask if you’ve seen rodents. And the fines get to compound over time. Between the unsightliness of the whole thing and the health danger to you and the dogs, it’s worth your while to call it in. Sooner or later the rats will get cheeky and fight back against the dogs, and you don’t want that.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 1: 41 pm |
I thought the urban version of pong involved cars and hipsters. That’s the version I play.