He Smells The Tail That Wags

September 29th, 2012

The next morning after arriving home from my house/doggie sitting job, Drake seemed calm.  He was even approaching my dogs to smell them first.  He wagged his tail and I saw him do a play bow several times, but unfortunately the dog had moved on, not seeing him trying to play.  Most of my pack is too old to want to play, but there are a couple that I hold out hope for a play mate.  I have been told by Paws that he does like to play.  I am hoping for that to happen.

With Drake calmer, I decided he could and should spend more time in the back yard.  It had dried up from my watering, so I was hoping he could explore.  Explore he did.  He seemed so happy again.  He did spin in a few spots, but I would touch his color area and he would be fine.  He did not want me to take him in, so when he would feel me, he would turn and go the opposite way.  Like a kid would.  I would smile every time.

 

I noticed that he paid much attention to the donkey, but when I went back to check on him.  I found the fascination was not with Cisco, but with his poo.  Drake thought it smelled delicious and wanted to eat it soo-oo-o badly.  I tried my best to redirect him away from the donkey and eventually he smelled the chickens.

I know I shouldn't have laughed or be laughing now, but funny is funny.  I will have to start by telling you about my rooster Ruby.  Yep, Ruby is sorta a girl's name, but he deserves it.  It was after the  fire we had last September.  I was trying to reunite pets with their owners and was going out to the local shelter every day.  I kept seeing this small white chicken sitting in a little bird cage, laying in front of bird food.  So on the ninth day I asked what they were going to do with it.  They said, they didn't know what to do with her.  Nobody had claimed her.  I said I have a couple of chickens and could I just take her home.  They said, sure.  As I picked it up to take, I noticed that the feet were all burned on the bottom.  It looked and smelled infected, so I took it straight to the vet.  She said it had a 106 degree temperature, was heavily infected and might not make it.  However, she said 50/50, so I said let's try to save her.  Two months of changing bandages every four days and treating her burns, the vet deemed her well.  The only problem was as the two months went by not only did she heal, but she started to crow.  Now I had two hens, Juanita and Lacey, so you would think romance was inevitable.  The only problem with that was, while we saved Ruby's life, he lost all his toes from the advanced infection.  So when poor Ruby would try to woo Juanita or Lacey and would jump on a back, he had nothing to hold on with.  Just his beak, but he would oh so slowly slide to the side and then to the ground.  Well, I had entertained myself with that maneuver for months.  I will never know if Juanita's eggs had any little Ruby's in them, but it sure was fun to watch him try.

Back to Drake.  I was about to watch sweet little blind Drake kill Ruby and Ruby kill him right back.  Drake would get the scent.  Nose in the air straight to the chickens, of course the chickens had the advantage of sight.  So they would run, not Ruby.  He was ready to fight for his girls.  Problem being roosters fight with their feet (eh toes).  Rudy posing, Drake running the wrong way.  Chickens gone, Drake could never even get close enough to Ruby for him to get a swing with his little nubs.  Now, again, I know I shouldn't have laughed, not to mention be smiling as I'm writing.  However, it might be one of those things that you had to be there for, but I hope one person gets a smile at the expense of my great little ban of animals.