Friday, February 24, 2012

A Bit of This and That

Just some fun tidbits for all you pet lovers.

Our dog, Eddie, has developed this habit that when asked if he wants to go out, he will walk to a spot about four feet from the door, and sit down.  Bob, the "dad" who can usually get Eddie to do whatever he wants, opens the door now, stands in the doorway and says, "Come on, Eddie.  Let's go out."  Eddie just sits there.  Then Bob goes over to Eddie, pats him on the back end several times, and says it again.  Only then will Eddie get up and go!  Then when they come back in, Eddie goes right back to the same spot, sits, and waits for his treat.  He hasn't always been this way ... it is just a new thing (several months now) that he is doing.  I find dogs fascinating!

In our local newspaper several days ago was a photograph of a dog dressed to the hilt.  The article said that in Rio de Janeiro, during Carnivale, there is a big pet-friendly parade, where lots of dogs, and a few cats get decked out in costumes ranging from engineer overalls to fairy wings to superhero capes.  Now, that would be an interesting site to see!  Wagging, sniffing, and cavorting down the street in their festive costumes.

Also, in our local newspaper a few weeks ago, there was an article about a rabbit, who has been watching the dogs on the farm, and has learned to herd sheep on his owner's land in Stockholm. The owner first noticed the rabbit's sheep herding skills after the long winter ended.  A gentleman, who breeds the dogs for herding, took a video and put it on You Tube, where it had hundreds of thousands of hits.  The people involved with the rabbit say it is amazing how good the rabbit is at herding, especially since he thinks he is responsible for herding the chickens as well.

Animals are so amazing, so interesting to watch, and I just love learning about them. Please feel free to comment and share what you have seen your animals do.

This post was written by Pam Todd, a member of the Crafting for Animals Guild on ArtFire, and whose shop, Bags and More by Pam, features hand-crocheted items for people, pets, and homes.  Pam is also a support of The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, and a lover of all things to do with nature.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Eddie sounds like adorable little being. I enjoyed your post!

Debra at Sleepy Cat Designs said...

Eddie sure has your husband trained well!! Same for my cat, Chester; he knows when it is treat time at 10pm each night and somewhere around that time, without fail, no matter what else he might be doing (such as sound sleeping), he gets up and comes to wherever I am and lets me know with gentle meow reminders. And if I don't respond right away, the reminders get louder. And he is relentless, knowing that I always respond (eventually). Then he is once more a happy cat. Like Eddie and Bob, Chester surely has me trained well, right? Animals truly are amazing in so many ways. Thanks for this enjoyable post.