There's a mouse plague in Mitchell

Mice are out and about in Mitchell, causing people a lot of stress and cats to wear a perpetual smile. Huge consignments of mouse traps at the hardware disappear within a day. In 12 hours, a neighbour caught 76 mice in 12 traps. Last year, Del was taught how to catch mice by our neighbour's Jack Russell terrier; and this year Del has passed on the tricks of the trade to our younger shepherd, Major. Del and Major hunt mice with Major flushing out and Del grabbing, crunching -- and then spitting out. Our neighbour had an electrician investigate her stove, only to discover 8 dead mice in amongst the electrics. In this part of outback Queensland a mouse plague usually follows a year of above-average rainfall, so people are slow to complain. Yet the smell they leave in their droppings is hard to ignore, especially when they venture into food, linen and clothes cupboards. Squeezing through impossibly tiny holes they gain entry and the only solution seems to be an indoor cat, which we have. By her very presence, Katie Siamese is a deterrent, but I think mice have more to fear from our shepherds.