This northern scorpion was nearly gobbled up by a dog named Blue in Keremeos, Oct. 18,2021, whose owner affectionately calls "the eater of all things."
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Tania Wallace
October 21, 2021 - 7:00 AM
A Keremeos woman has to keep a close eye on her dog’s diet or else he might end up eating something poisonous, which almost happened earlier this week.
During their stroll on the morning of Oct. 18, Blue — who Tania Wallace affectionately calls “the eater of all things” — was excited to notice something bit-sized up ahead on the sidewalk. But before he could gobble it up, she restrained him to make sure it wouldn’t be harmful to eat.
Upon noticing pincers for arms and a stinger on the end of its tail, it was apparent the insect was a scorpion, and probably not a good breakfast for Blue.
“I wasn’t sure if it was dead or not, so I did what a 10-year-old would do and I poked it with a stick,” she said.
The scorpion would not move though. Wallace pushed it onto the grass and it still laid motionless. Later in the evening, she walked past the same spot with her husband and saw the scorpion still lying in the same spot.
READ MORE: What has 12 eyes and still can't see? B.C.'s Northern Scorpion
Wallace found a scorpion around the same area last year as well, one that was smaller but still living. She describes the location as a newer subdivision in Keremeos with a lot of xeriscaping.
As an arachnophobe, Wallace said she tends to spot insects before most people.
“We’re always going to find the bugs because we’re always looking for them," she said.
She’s not scared of the creepy crawlers though. Upon moving to town in 2019, she was learning about the local habitat and discovered that scorpions live in Keremeos.
“They only really sting when threatened, and the local ones do have venom but not very much, it would be kind of like a bee sting.”
The only species known to live in the wild in Canada it the northern scorpion, the paruroctonus boreus. Scorpions are nocturnal creatures so it can be difficult to spot them, but they famously glow at night when a blue light shines on them.
Blue the dog poses for a photo.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Tania Wallace
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