the dog and the mouse

i was out walking when i saw a dog, seemingly alone in a field. it didn't seem to mind, though, as it was furiously digging a hole in the ground. i reminded me of my old dog, when he too, was chasing mice. i went over to see if there was a dogtag so that i could perhaps bring it back wherever it belonged but no such luck. it wasn't very interested in me, really interested in the hole. i did not for one second think that it would actually catch something, but it did. there was a little squeak and i saw a fieldmouse in its jaw. it was a bit sickening but let's face it, i wasn't going to pull the poor thing out of there, no matter how friendly the dog looked. plus, it might already be wounded beyond help. and then it was gone, swallowed whole. right. i really didn't need to see that. then the dog was off, apparently in a well-known direction, so i left it to it, feeling ever so slightly less inclined towards helping it - i know it's just life but i certainly didn't expect a well-fed dog to eat a mouse.