August 20, 2011

• Dog Days

         I have a son-in-law who is a dog lover, and so when someone saw on Craigslist “free to a good home, registered Siberian Husky” and mentioned it to David, it was 24 hours later that we were the caretakers of a beautiful Siberian Husky, but one that doesn’t listen well, and runs off the minute he is off of the leash….so that is the beginning of the story–eventually David and Amber will have a place where this dog can have the run of the place..I don’t even think he has a name yet..Anyway, Moses, our American bulldog has accepted him quite well, but does seem to be in a bit of a competition to better him in any way that he can…whether it is in drinking water at the same time, with more noise, or suddenly deciding to eat his dog food since the new dog is eating his..The other night, when the husky took off to the neighbors and David ran after to catch him, Moses tagged along, and suddenly saw the neighbors rooster out in the back yard..I am not sure that he has ever harassed the chickens over there before, but possibly because of the motivation of impressing the newcomer, Moses soon had “aholt” of that rooster, and things were looking grim. David hollered for Amber to come and get Moses off, because he couldn’t do it since he had the other dog on the leash. By the time Amber got there, the rooster was looking quite dead, and she pulled him off and disciplined Moses, and brought him on home where I added a few more licks for good measure. I went over there, but wasn’t quite sure where the carnage had taken place, but there was no rooster anywhere but the other chickens were running around ok..so I assumed that he was dead. The neighbors were not home, so I called them later that night, and apologized for Moses and offered to pay for the rooster.. The neighbor said no, but I could tell it bothered him some, because he called me back and wanted to go out and look for it to make sure it wasn’t suffering….but he couldn’t find it either..
  The next night, as we were about to eat supper, my neighbor stopped in–I thought to give me the funeral details, but he was all excited that “Old Two-Toes” was still alive….!! and except for minus most of his tail feathers, seemed to still rule the roost over the rest of the hens. He even had a picture of his post-assault status on his cell phone. Well, I was horrified to think that this rooster had a name, and was more of a family pet then I knew..seemed like when he was a young chick with his claws sticking down through the wire of the cage, one of their dogs had gnawed off a couple of his toes, so they call him Two-Toes, and he sort of walks with a limp ever since..but still rules proudly over his domain of a yard. And I am hoping that Moses remembers the pain that he experienced immediately after having a rooster in his mouth, so that no repeats follow! And that is the story from down here, where eldest daughter Kristin leaves bright and early in the am for Sierra Leone, Africa. It will be quite different around here the 4 months she is gone, and we are already worried about missing her, but we can make out…Stephen and I will hold down the fort quite nicely, but just not nearly as much flavor, and grace!
  
  This is Moses, S/P Rooster episode, thinking on his sins
  

  And New Dog, who shall remain nameless until someone names him!

  

  • 8:45 am
  • 2 Comments