Finally a Picture of the New Pup
This is Gus. He's a whole eight weeks old. He finally held still long enough to snap a picture. He's a bundle of energy and in this picture is attacking Katie (who thinks that Gus is HER puppy)
Katie hasn't shown any interest in becoming a hunter. She will let dove and quail eat out of her food dish. She's also not that interested in fetching things. She's a sweetheart though.
Also, Chico, the rescue burro scored some revenge points for the Barn Monster. There was a stomped to shit rattlesnake out by the barn this morning.
Chico gets extra licorice.
posted by The Minstrel Boy at 8:48 AM
13 Comments:
oh the dogs are wonderful. the puppy i would just love to cuddle, but hooray for the donkey!!!
i have a special affection for little donkeys as it is, this just makes them even more special.
my grandfather, who i just loved, used to say that i was like the little donkeys that worked in the quarries in italy. small and stubborn enough to keep going long after i should have fallen over but it was hard to get my attention at times.
i think he was right.
give your donkey an "atta boy" from pittsburgh. o.k?
"atta boy" delived with pleasure. i'm pretty certain that it was chico because when i doled out the licorice and the molasses grain to him (which are treats he dearly loves) he went to where the snake had been and brayed triumphantly. sally, being a born mustang, has prodigeous snake hatred and pretty decent chops when it comes to getting rid of them, but i think it was chico struck the blow this morning.
The pup is adorable and kudos to Chico. My theory is you can't have too many animals.
I have to admit, my love for the desert is definitely tempered by a fear of rattlesnakes, though.
It sounds like they're in plenty supply around your place. Do you ever get used to that? Do you always have to be on guard or do you not worry about it? *shivers*
part of my view of the rattlesnakes especially is tempered by the apache viewpoint. if the survival of your people was in a large part dependant on the safety of stored corn a rattlesnake wouldn't be the worst thing you could find around the place. there was a study by the UofA not too long ago that had concluded that without the rattlesnakes and the coyotes that so many folks out here complain about the rats and other rodents would simply take over the place. i'm pretty used to living around them, hell, they was here first, and they have their part to play in the complete picture. if one takes simple, reasonable precautions there really isn't all that much to worry about. given an opportunity most of the snakes will retreat, and if you choose another pathway will not pursue.
there was a medical professor (who happens to be one of my daughter's favorite teachers) who said in a lecture on ER procedures that "over 90% of the snake bites you will see are young white males 17-28 and drunk." the other 10% are children"
most snake bites are provoked.
most of the cowboys I know out in west Texas try to keep a donkey with the horse herd to protect the horses from rattlesnakes. So, I suspect your assumption correct as to what caused the demise of said rattler. Well, done Chico.
yo soy Horsedooty!
Love your pup! (And those tiles too!)
Minstral Boy..what a darling puppy, and kudos to Chico. In all my visits out west (my dad is from Wyoming and we visited regularly) we never saw any rattlers and I've never been sorry. I know they only tend to attack when provoked, but they still scare me to death (and no, I am not generally afraid on snakes, only venomous ones)
kona, those tiles go all through the house. they came from sinaloa where they are made by folks who do stuff for real. they are perfect for a desert house because they stay a few degrees cooler than air temperature. they are also a breeze to clean. come winter i break out the throw rugs but for now it's barefoot on the cool tiles.
gus is a hoot and a half. he is already swimming.
most snake bites are provoked.
To the best of my knowledge, this is pretty damn close to a universal principle when it comes to venomous snakes. There aren't any large enough to eat us, so they avoid us and only bite when they perceive it to be necessary. Don't provoke a snake and you should be fine.
- oddjob
sweet pup. do you have black snakes or other non-poisonous ones that help keep the rodent population under control? I know you have hawks and other raptors out there but thay aren't much help in barns,
we have two different species of king snake (one of which mimics the coral snake to warn off its own predators) bull, and gopher snakes. and i have a passel of mostly feral barn cats who keep the rodents in the barn under pretty decent control. but, the rattlers are a part of life out here. if you can't accept them you need to move deeper into the city. our raptors include red tail and cooper's hawks in abundance and golden eagles from time to time.
there are also plenty of buzzards and ravens to keep the place clean.
actually, sounds a lot like pittsburgh. except for the rattlesnakes. so far, they are still a little farther north of here.
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