We have an arbor over an outside porch with three different kinds of vines growing on it. For some reason, these vines never bear their flowers at the same time, and all of the flowers are of the kind that open in the morning and are lying dead on the ground before lunch. They are also thickest at the top, where the gardener can not reach to trim them, and very scraggly at the sides, where there is no need to trim them.
Every year around this time a black bird couple makes a nest within the branches of the top of the vines, and eventually baby birds would be hatched, fed, weaned and then fly away. This year the word must have gone out that the rates in this particular maternity hospital are cheap because we have at least five nests going at the same time. A few days ago I think there was even a christening party because when I went outside to wet my plants there were about 30 blackbirds all lined up on the electrical wire that runs along the wall outside of my house, and on the top of the wall itself. They were making a hell of a racket but at least there was no loud music or alcohol involved in the festivities.
Since the influx of my new visitors, I have learned a lot of things about black birds. The first is that they shit a lot. Every morning at 7 o'clock I hose down the porch and get the rid of their droppings and all the dead leaves and twigs that they discard during their nest building. At 5:00 p.m. I do it all again and you would never believe that I had cleaned that porch just a few hours before. The second thing I have learned is that they are very territorial - and it does not matter if the territory is not theirs, they are still going to dive bomb you every time you get near to their nest. They even dive bomb the dogs who retaliate with snapping jaws that have never connected to anything other that air. The third thing that I have discovered is that their songs are surprisingly varied - I don't know what the different calls mean, but there is a whole range of pitches, sounds and combinations that I am sure translates into whole conversations to them. The only one I can readily understand is "There she is again! Get her!! Aim for the head, the head, the head!!! Yayyyy - bullseye!!!"
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Maybe another Rescue?
On Sunday, we saw a mother dog and her two pups in the Savannah. I am almost sure they were dumped there by the owner, as so many other dogs have been in the past. And left to die. There are always dogs in the Savannah - some with collars, some with puppies. You sometimes see the homeless people who also live in the Savannah with a dog in tow, you sometimes hear about a dog that was adopted by an admirer, but most of them just disappear. I've seen skeletons, and smelled rotting carcasses that are probably those of dogs who hid themselves away to die in peace. Though how such a death could be peaceful if beyond my imagination.
It is hard for dog catchers to net one of the Savannah dogs because they have the whole Savannah to bolt into when they see them coming. Which is quite sensible of the dogs because strays taken to the pound are killed - I understand they are electrocuted, but I don't know for sure how it is done. I've seen the dog catcher too - she is about 5 feet and is as wide as she is tall, so she does not present much of a challenge for a dog intent on escaping from her.
But as I say, we saw a mother dog and her two pups on Sunday. They were trotting eastwards, along the north side of the Savannah, the mother stopping to sniff the ground every two or three feet - probably hoping to find something edible. The puppies, as puppies do, were gambolling along, probably oblivious to the fact that their distended tummies meant they had worms, not that they were well fed. The mother was small, whitish-blond with long fluffy ears, and she wore a collar. One of the puppies was white, the other was either black or dark brown. Everyone was thin.
When I got home I sent a message to the TSPCA and to AWN (Animal Welfare Network) asking them to pick the dogs up. On Monday I heard back from TSPCA, asking for the location of the dogs. By that time, I had gone back to the Savannah, but had not seen the dogs. Neither did I see them on Tuesday or Wednesday, so I thought somebody had gotten them, or that they had gone somewhere else.
This morning, I took another route with Rescue while walking in the Savannah. I get bored going the same way every time, so I often change our direction when I am walking either of the dogs. This route took me directly across the Savannah, and I was beginning to regret my decision because there are few sheltering trees in that part of the Savannah and the sun was killing me, when I saw something white moving in the distance. I am very alert to the presence of dogs in the Savannah because the ones in packs would sometimes attack other dogs (mine). It was too far away for me to see, but as I got closer, I realized that it was Mummy Dog - and she was alone.
She was heading towards me, but at an angle which would allow her to pass me at a safe distance. When she got parallel to me, she stopped and looked at me, but I had Rescue so she sensibly did not approach us. I was so sad to see her alone, as I was then sure her babies had died of starvation or had been killed by another dog.
But then, in the distance, I could see two little bodies tumbling together on the ground. It was her puppies. I don't understand why she was running away from them, but she was moving like someone with an important appointment that she did not want to be late for. When I got closer, and they saw me, they started to run towards me - but stopped very suddenly when Rescue began to take a most unhealthy interest in them. So, with Rescue straining at the leash, I had to leave them.
But I went home, dropped Rescue off, collected a leash, some milk and dog food and bits of cheese and went back down to the Savannah. Why is it that all the slow drivers in the country always get in front of you when you are in a hurry??
And they were gone. The Savannah is fairly flat so I was able to see for quite a distance and nothing was in sight for as far as my eyes could see. There is a tree near to where I had seen them, and quite often some homeless person or the other uses it as his base. Sometimes these people are mentally ill, so other than the dogs, I keep an eye out for them too. As I looked towards the tree, I saw that there was a man sitting under it and he seemed to be writing something on a piece of paper. When I looked more closely, there was one of the pups - the dark one - lying calmly at his feet.
After some inward argument, I went a little closer and asked him if he had seen the mother dog and the other pup. He told me there were somewhere around. He seemed quite pleasant, so I told him I had brought food for them and he got up and began walking towards me, calling the puppy to come to him. At first the pup was hesitant, but I was able to entice him with a few pieces of the cheese that I threw on the ground in front of him. Like the bread crumbs in Hansel and Gretel, he followed the cheese until he got to the bowl of cold milk. I thought I had put out enough milk for both of the puppies, but that little dog drank almost the whole thing. I am sure he is going to bring it back up because he could hardly wobble away by the time he was finished, but I did not have the heart to stop him. He is actually brindle coloured, and has the largest ears in puppydom.
The mother dog and the brother never made an appearance, so I left the dog food with the guy and asked him to give it to them, which he promised to do. I will try to go back tomorrow with more food and maybe a better plan to get them to come with me. As I was walking back to the car, it dawned on me that at that time of the day the Savannah is practically deserted except for some very strange characters - not the least of which was yours truly.
It is hard for dog catchers to net one of the Savannah dogs because they have the whole Savannah to bolt into when they see them coming. Which is quite sensible of the dogs because strays taken to the pound are killed - I understand they are electrocuted, but I don't know for sure how it is done. I've seen the dog catcher too - she is about 5 feet and is as wide as she is tall, so she does not present much of a challenge for a dog intent on escaping from her.
But as I say, we saw a mother dog and her two pups on Sunday. They were trotting eastwards, along the north side of the Savannah, the mother stopping to sniff the ground every two or three feet - probably hoping to find something edible. The puppies, as puppies do, were gambolling along, probably oblivious to the fact that their distended tummies meant they had worms, not that they were well fed. The mother was small, whitish-blond with long fluffy ears, and she wore a collar. One of the puppies was white, the other was either black or dark brown. Everyone was thin.
When I got home I sent a message to the TSPCA and to AWN (Animal Welfare Network) asking them to pick the dogs up. On Monday I heard back from TSPCA, asking for the location of the dogs. By that time, I had gone back to the Savannah, but had not seen the dogs. Neither did I see them on Tuesday or Wednesday, so I thought somebody had gotten them, or that they had gone somewhere else.
This morning, I took another route with Rescue while walking in the Savannah. I get bored going the same way every time, so I often change our direction when I am walking either of the dogs. This route took me directly across the Savannah, and I was beginning to regret my decision because there are few sheltering trees in that part of the Savannah and the sun was killing me, when I saw something white moving in the distance. I am very alert to the presence of dogs in the Savannah because the ones in packs would sometimes attack other dogs (mine). It was too far away for me to see, but as I got closer, I realized that it was Mummy Dog - and she was alone.
She was heading towards me, but at an angle which would allow her to pass me at a safe distance. When she got parallel to me, she stopped and looked at me, but I had Rescue so she sensibly did not approach us. I was so sad to see her alone, as I was then sure her babies had died of starvation or had been killed by another dog.
But then, in the distance, I could see two little bodies tumbling together on the ground. It was her puppies. I don't understand why she was running away from them, but she was moving like someone with an important appointment that she did not want to be late for. When I got closer, and they saw me, they started to run towards me - but stopped very suddenly when Rescue began to take a most unhealthy interest in them. So, with Rescue straining at the leash, I had to leave them.
But I went home, dropped Rescue off, collected a leash, some milk and dog food and bits of cheese and went back down to the Savannah. Why is it that all the slow drivers in the country always get in front of you when you are in a hurry??
And they were gone. The Savannah is fairly flat so I was able to see for quite a distance and nothing was in sight for as far as my eyes could see. There is a tree near to where I had seen them, and quite often some homeless person or the other uses it as his base. Sometimes these people are mentally ill, so other than the dogs, I keep an eye out for them too. As I looked towards the tree, I saw that there was a man sitting under it and he seemed to be writing something on a piece of paper. When I looked more closely, there was one of the pups - the dark one - lying calmly at his feet.
After some inward argument, I went a little closer and asked him if he had seen the mother dog and the other pup. He told me there were somewhere around. He seemed quite pleasant, so I told him I had brought food for them and he got up and began walking towards me, calling the puppy to come to him. At first the pup was hesitant, but I was able to entice him with a few pieces of the cheese that I threw on the ground in front of him. Like the bread crumbs in Hansel and Gretel, he followed the cheese until he got to the bowl of cold milk. I thought I had put out enough milk for both of the puppies, but that little dog drank almost the whole thing. I am sure he is going to bring it back up because he could hardly wobble away by the time he was finished, but I did not have the heart to stop him. He is actually brindle coloured, and has the largest ears in puppydom.
The mother dog and the brother never made an appearance, so I left the dog food with the guy and asked him to give it to them, which he promised to do. I will try to go back tomorrow with more food and maybe a better plan to get them to come with me. As I was walking back to the car, it dawned on me that at that time of the day the Savannah is practically deserted except for some very strange characters - not the least of which was yours truly.
Spoilt Children
I was looking at an episode of It's Me or The Dog, and Victoria Stillwell got the entire family (a mother and her three teenaged children) to promise that everybody would help to train their dog. Two of the kids hated the dog and wanted their mother to re-home it, but it could not be done unless he got some doggy manners, so they agreed.
Incidentally, I should mention that these children were not exactly children. They were very close in age and in their late teens - I would say between 15 and 19.
On the first day of training, Victoria Victoria
I agree that the kids nowadays are spoiled but it is not the children who have changed - it is the mothers who have become more exhausted. Somehow along the way, we (meaning mothers, because fathers are generally never around and they are also just as spoiled) got so tired from being Super Woman that we just did not have the energy to fight with the children when they resisted doing things we needed them to do - like making their beds, being polite, going to bed on time, eating their food, washing the dishes, taking out the garbage.... It got easier for us to do it ourselves and then collapse into the nearest chair/couch/bed for a few hours rest before starting the day all over again.
Children never wanted to do chores (who does?), but they learned over the last 25 years or so that if they resist enough, we will cave, and now it has become the way things are. Nobody does what they don't want to do. And to think that these people who won't work together for the good of the group are the future leaders of this great planet. In fact, some of them are already in leadership positions.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Pitbull Legislation
It is not easy being the owner of a dog, and this is especially so with a Pit Bull. Earlier this month, my husband and I took the dogs for a walk along the north side of the Savannah. We walked on the outside of them, the dogs shoulder to shoulder in the middle, as Aslan is "teaching" Rescue how to walk on a lead. It is clear that Rescue's previous owners never took him for a walk - maybe they had a yard as big as the Savannah for him to exercise in - but he is a quick learner and doing well.
Anyway, we are ambling along when all of a sudden this man starts to shout at us from across the street. His problem was that the dogs were not muzzled. He is screaming that we are breaking the law, says he is going to put us in the papers, runs across the road to our side and speeds off ahead of us. We saw him stop two elderly ladies and gesticulate towards us - the ladies immediately crossed to an island in the middle of the road and kept their eyes riveted to us as we approached. Now, isn't that silly? There have been several road deaths for the year already in the papers - not one reported dog bite - but you take your life in your hands by standing in the middle of the road?
As we neared our vehicle, we could see Mr. Man taking pictures of us and, and as if that invasion of privacy was not enough, he then drove his car alongside ours, blocking us in, and proceeded to take pictures of our vehicle, including the license plate.
The law I think he is referring to is the Dangerous Dogs Act of 2000. This is the most unjust piece of legislation that I have ever seen. For one thing, it says that dogs that are categorized as dangerous can not leave their own premises - not even to go to the vet (unless the vet certifies in writing that the treatment can only be given at his/her office). The decision as to what types of dogs are dangerous is not based on any scientific, empirical evidence that I can see. For those of you who do not know, the world has three dangerous dogs - the Pit Bull, the Japanese Tosa, and the Fila Brasileiro. They are never to be bred, sold, given away or exchanged and must be muzzled when not on their own premises. I have no idea what is going to happen when some other man-killing dog is discovered - as it will be because I clearly remember the hype surrounding Dobermans and Rotts when they were in their hey-day.
So it would seem that the man was right, and we are law breakers. Well, no, not really. For one thing, Aslan, as a Shar Pei, is not categorized as a Dangerous Dog (although Rescue is because he is a Pit Bull). For another, and more importantly, although this invasive and totally illogical Act was approved by the then Government, the law was never enacted. So until such time, I am totally within my rights to exercise and socialize my animal in a manner that is safe for the public and healthy for him. You would think that Rescue had already faced enough abuse before coming to us, to now have to tolerate the willfully misinformed prejudices of ignorant people.
I wish people would check their facts before they ruin my whole day.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Police Attitudes
This morning the Presidential car was coming around the savannah, one security car in front, one behind and a motor cycle outrider on the side. Some distance behind was another motorcycle outrider. The vehicles and first outrider slowed down and turned into gateway - did you know that when the President gets home a bugle is sounded? I heard it this morning.
Anyway, the traffic that had been pulled aside to let them pass started to move forward and I suddenly heard this loud, strident voice yelling "Whey yuh tink you goin??" Apparently one of the cars on the far left had reached alongside the remaining outrider and she was not happy about it. The car stopped and she continued to scream at the driver in what I can only describe as a fishwife voice. The whole of St. Ann's could have heard this woman. People in the cars backed up to the Kapok Roundabout could have heard this woman. Dogs within a 10 mile radius could have heard this woman.! She had a voice that could easily have shattered glass. And the man driving the car was about 1 foot away from her. She ended her tirade with the dire "All yuh so go see someting" before driving off in a huff.
Okay, so maybe the unfortunate driver's brain did not click into gear to realize that she was part of the entourage and he should keep behind her. Maybe he thought that once the president was safely within his compound it would be okay for him to continue on his way. Maybe he was studying the crime rate in Trinidad and did not even notice her. Whatever the reason - was it okay for her to behave like if she was having a fight with somebody in a back-a-yard?
I found it especially distressing because this is the PRESIDENT'S guard. It is not to say that it is some ordinary traffic police - we are all accustomed to the abuse they mete out at the slightest provocation - but when you see a police-person in a white uniform, you kind of expect a measure of decorum, or at least basic good manners.
I wondered if these people are not trained - but then I realized that it is possible that the person doing the training accepts that talking like that to another person is quite okay. You can't teach what you don't know yourself. I have heard parents talking to small children and teachers talking to pupils in exactly the same way. Who is to guard the guards?
Anyway, the traffic that had been pulled aside to let them pass started to move forward and I suddenly heard this loud, strident voice yelling "Whey yuh tink you goin??" Apparently one of the cars on the far left had reached alongside the remaining outrider and she was not happy about it. The car stopped and she continued to scream at the driver in what I can only describe as a fishwife voice. The whole of St. Ann's could have heard this woman. People in the cars backed up to the Kapok Roundabout could have heard this woman. Dogs within a 10 mile radius could have heard this woman.! She had a voice that could easily have shattered glass. And the man driving the car was about 1 foot away from her. She ended her tirade with the dire "All yuh so go see someting" before driving off in a huff.
Okay, so maybe the unfortunate driver's brain did not click into gear to realize that she was part of the entourage and he should keep behind her. Maybe he thought that once the president was safely within his compound it would be okay for him to continue on his way. Maybe he was studying the crime rate in Trinidad and did not even notice her. Whatever the reason - was it okay for her to behave like if she was having a fight with somebody in a back-a-yard?
I found it especially distressing because this is the PRESIDENT'S guard. It is not to say that it is some ordinary traffic police - we are all accustomed to the abuse they mete out at the slightest provocation - but when you see a police-person in a white uniform, you kind of expect a measure of decorum, or at least basic good manners.
I wondered if these people are not trained - but then I realized that it is possible that the person doing the training accepts that talking like that to another person is quite okay. You can't teach what you don't know yourself. I have heard parents talking to small children and teachers talking to pupils in exactly the same way. Who is to guard the guards?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)