Cicada-Eating Dog In Joliet: Molly Finds Cicadas Delicious

JOLIET — The backyard of long-time Joliet rental property owner Kris Corcoran has turned into grand mating central for thousands and thousands of cicada insects — Corcoran's 4-year-old dog Molly absolutely loves eating them — while they're still alive.

Joliet Patch's editor visited Corcoran's home near the Louis Mall, which has a Joliet mailing address, but is considered Plainfield Township. Corcorcan said he started noticing the cicadas a week ago, but in the past two days, his backyard plants and trees have been overrun with cicadas.

And the influx of cicadas has made Molly quite happy. Molly is part Great Dane and part Dobermann, and the dog is owned by Corcoran and his girlfriend, Korrine Patton.

"Molly eats everything," Corcoran explained. "She's amazing. If it has anything to do with food matter, she'll eat it."

Corcoran told Joliet Patch's editor he's lost count how many live cicadas Molly has devoured this week alone. It's several hundreds, for sure.

As I was filming a video of Molly, I asked, so how many will Molly eat in a given day?

"I don't know, anywhere from a dozen to a hundred," Corcoran replied.

During Thursday's 3 p.m. interview, I could hear the cicadas in the nearby trees.

"You can sit out here and watch the birds are just grabbing them out of the air," Corcoran explained.

Corcoran said he first became aware he had the swath of cicadas when Molly was lurking around the backyard this week, which is bordered by a large farm field.

"I could see her head ducking down," Corcoran said.

Now, when Corcoran yells, "Molly, treat! Molly treat!" Molly gleefully runs toward him so she can swallow the live cicadas whole.

Mostly, Molly isn't interested in eating the dead ones, but she did eat a handful of dead cicadas during Thursday afternoon's interview, leaving Corcoran a bit surprised.

Even though most of the city of Joliet hasn't been invaded by the cicadas as of May 23, that is not true for Corcoran and his Pinecrest subdivision.

This week, Corcoran said he heard one of the little boys on his block screaming, "someone help me! There's just cicadas everywhere!"

Joliet Patch asked Corcoran how many cicadas have invaded his yard. "I have no idea," he answered. "It's just been thousands and thousands."

Corcoran said he's read up about cicadas and learned their life span is only about 4 weeks long. He said the constant humming noises coming from his trees is their mating sound.

As long as the cicadas continue to invade Joliet's Pinecrest subdivision, Corcoran's dog Molly will stay happy. Corcoran said he regularly brings Molly to Joliet's Sidelines Bar in the Marycrest Shopping Plaza on Mondays and Fridays "and the whole bar loves her."

Before I left, Corcoran gave me about two dozen cicadas that he put into a plastic bag, live ones, for me to bring home to my 7-year-old dog, Champ, part Labrador and part Corgi.

Every dog must be different, because Champ sniffed the first live one I pulled out of the bag, but he refused to eat it.