Multi-functional pooper-scooper

**WARNING** Some viewers may find the contents of this post disturbing. By SOME I really mean Lori :-).

My office egress window-well has long been a great hide-out for amphibians and reptiles. When rain is abundant, various frogs, snakes and salamanders end up finding their way in, but are not so adapt at finding their way back out. I find it very distracting to have critters bouncing into my window or creeping across the glass while I am studying my laptop screen trying to work.

I ask you, wouldn't this sight be a little distracting for you? Especially after watching the frogs try so hard to crawl up the window only to fall back down. Pretty soon, I find myself cheering them on. Come on, little froggie - you can do it! But mostly, I get annoyed by them sporadically bouncing into the window... thump, thump.... thump.
For several years, I have had Kippy capture these critters and release them back into the wild (wild: meaning the garden, 'cause critters are good 'skeeter-eaters.) Kippy has routinely been getting frogs out using a little toy rake to coax them into a sand pail. Sometimes, said frogs get to stay in the sand pail for a while to be temporary pets before being released.

On Sunday, I casually mentioned to Kippy that there were quite a few frogs that needed to be removed from my window well.

ME: Kippy, can you get the frogs out of the window? There are two salamanders as well, but don't touch them.

KIPPY: Why not?

ME: Because they have a caustic substance on their skin to protect them that you don't want to get on your skin.
Kippy went outside and was gone for a while and then came back into the house and announced that she found a new use for the Bella's pooper-scooper...

turns out it is great for retrieving salamanders so you don't have to touch them.

KIPPY: I thought I killed one of the salamanders.

ME: Really?

KIPPY: Yup, I thought I had poked out one of its eyes because I picked it up by its head in the scooper. But it was ok when I let it out.

ME: Good to know.

I am happy that Kippy can think outside of the box once in a while.