Apparently the gophers (more correctly, Richardson ground squirrels) are semi-tame where the Mister works. He's said that he's been within 5 feet of gophers noshing on grass, and they don't move.

Kinda like the deer in our town. Those critters know they're perfectly safe. The Miss has passed within a few feet of deer feeding, and they're like "Sup, human?" and go right back to eating. Of course, the deer are smarter than humans; at least the deer know how to use the crosswalks.