Tag Archives: Dogs

April 10, 2020 · 7:14 am

Training Terry

If you remember, a few months ago we were given Terry, a Belgium Shepherd dog whose owner could no longer care for him. He came with some behavioral issues that we are still working on.

He and George still periodically growl at each other through the hole that Jolina made in the door. He’s totally jealous of any attention Fred and George get from my son and carries on something awful. Walks are difficult because we can’t take all three dogs at once–Terry and George can’t behave.

Terry’s neurosis and fear of being left alone have lowered but not gone away completely these past few months. He is not a big fan of being tied either. His high pitched whimpering is grating on the nerves, but sometimes he needs to be tied if only for a few minutes so we can move between the animal area and the backyard without a brawl ensuing between the two would-be Alpha dogs.

Since he is a shepherd dog, we thought maybe he should get some training in his breed’s profession to help him overcome all this neediness he has. The first trip out off-leash wasn’t a success. He certainly tried to round up the kids, but mama goat wasn’t having any of that and hit him with her horns. Terry panicked and ran off. He must have gotten lost because he didn’t turn up for three hours, traumatized and shaking.

Several weeks passed and we gave it another go. Terry decided wide circles were the best option for herding and the mama goats approved. So for several weeks, he’s been going out in the morning with the horses and goats and my husband. He likes to chase Red around and I think Red likes the game too.

He’s been behaved and returns to the house when everybody is ready to be put in. He then is as happy as can be the rest of the day, snoozing in the shade.

But we can’t take Fred and George for a walk while Terry’s out minding the goats. He has a sixth sense and comes from nowhere to take down George and since George is leashed, Terry has the advantage.

For the most part, the morning romps have been going well until recently. The chicken feather guy’s female boxer dog is in heat AGAIN! If you’ll remember, the hormones that saturated the air led to Puppy’s demise. Well, apparently, she’s pretty potent and her heat cycle has attracted the biggest and the baddest canines around. Gangs of huge dogs have taken up residence in La Yacata in hopes of paying court.

So a few days ago, Terry was out with the goats and one of these humongous interlopers was slinking along eyeing up the kids in the herd. Terry became defensive and attacked, which is exactly what he should have done. The interloper ran up the hill and Terry gave chase. The two ended up near the chicken feather guy’s compound. Terry whipped the other dog’s behind and came back to the herd.

Then the chicken feather guy came down following Terry saying that he has been biting his cows and horses. Several weeks ago he stopped my son when he was with Fred and George and said the same thing. Perhaps if he fixed his dog, there wouldn’t be packs of dogs around every few months. Perhaps if he didn’t let his animals out at night to eat other people’s crops because he doesn’t want to buy food for them, they wouldn’t get bit. Whatever! You can’t reason with stupidity.

The hormones in the air have also been affecting Fred and George. Two days ago, my son was walking them and a strange dog arrived. George just went berserk–letme at ‘im, letme at ‘in. In the melee that ensued, he bit my son’s hand accidentally. When everybody was back in the Flores compound, George was extremely contrite. He moped around the rest of the day. Every time my son came out, he tried to make it up to him by wagging his tail, licking his face and climbing on his lap.

So, because of the high level of hormones in La Yacata, the dogs are in quarantine for the time being under stay at home orders. It doesn’t mean that one of the neighbors won’t get it into their heads to poison our dogs again, though. We can only hope that social distancing will prevail.

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Filed under Animal Husbandry

Tagged as Animal Husbandry, dog training, Dogs, Pets, training a shepherd dog, training dog

November 15, 2019 · 6:51 am

Puppy

Puppy was poisoned. If you’ve never seen an animal die from poisoning, you should know that it’s a horrible way to go. Here’s what happened.

You know we’ve been trying to retrain our dogs. Their freedom has been curtailed drastically. We’ve been working on obedience training intensively. We were tired of people deliberately provoking them, especially Puppy, by hitting them with sticks, kicking them from the motorcycle, and throwing stones at them.

All of our dogs bark. That’s what dogs do. Puppy liked to chase two-wheeled vehicles down the road. He never caused an accident. He never bit anyone. He just barked. One time, the Puppers also had a free-for-all with the neighbor’s sheep. They chased them around the house and back again. No sheep were injured. The Puppers had fun, the sheep not so much. These chasing behaviors were we were in the process of trying to eliminate. But in the end, it didn’t matter.

Buddy was the first dog in La Yacata to be poisoned. It’s possible that since Buddy looked so much like Puppy the perpetrators poisoned him by mistake. It’s also possible that since Buddy was often out, having been abandoned, and our dogs were corralled most of the day and all night, Buddy just found the pile of poisoned bones first. Buddy was the most mild-mannered dog ever. He just wanted affection. When you talked to him, he wagged his whole body in joy.

The second dog to be poisoned in La Yacata was Blackie. She was a sick and mistreated stray pit bull that found her way to La Yacata several months ago. She took a shine to the neighbors down below and set herself up at the corner as their self-appointed guardian. The neighbors fed her and gave her water. The 5-year-old granddaughter even set up a pillow for Blackie to sleep on. Blackie was looking healthy and certainly was happier. She growled at passers-by that ventured too close to “her” corner but never hurt anyone.

And then Puppy was poisoned. Chicken bones were left next to our front door. We should have been more suspicious of Puppy’s crunching while we were out with the animals that afternoon. We weren’t and Puppy died later that evening, a most horrible death. We made sure no vomit or excrement was left where any of the other animals could get at it.

We know who left the poison. The Borrega guy saw him. We also heard him discussing poison on the next road over one day. The acoustics in La Yacata are odd. We can hear people on the other road clear as day, but not so much when someone is beside the house.

This guy had poisoned my father-in-law’s dog, the mother of our Puppers, several months ago too. So this isn’t a one-time incident. We have two surviving dogs, chickens, goats and horses that could be affected by poison strewn about, especially at our doorstep. However, my husband didn’t want to confront him. He said it would make the situation worse.

I asked around and learned it was a crime, punishable by a fine or two years in jail, to poison someone’s animals on their own property. I played with the idea of reporting this to Ministerio Publico despite the poor experiences I’ve had in the past with the justice system in Mexico. The problem was we’d have to PROVE beyond a shadow of a doubt that he did it. Although we had eye-witness testimony and our own evidence, the dead dog, the remaining chicken bones and the overheard conversation, that probably wouldn’t be enough. Plus, the poison was technically outside our property line.

Instead, when we went to the market, I asked the man’s daughter, who runs the market, to tell her father to stop leaving poison in La Yacata. I was firm and courteous. She didn’t deny that her father had done it. I also mentioned that it was a crime to poison animals, that any children who accidentally picked up the bones or sticks or stones that had been dosed with poison could be injured, and that we had other animals that we didn’t want to be poisoned. She seemed angry but was polite as well.

My intention wasn’t to threaten or cause her discomfort, but to let the guy know that we knew it was him. My husband wasn’t happy that I’d said anything. However, I believe my actions prompted him to have a chat with the guy when he ran into him later. Of course, the man denied all knowledge, as if he’d admit it. But he received the message, loud and clear. We know he did it and now he knows we know.

Of course, with the way things are in the world today, we could have just made the situation worse. Although someone is at our house 24-hours a day, it would only take a minute for someone to drop poison by our door again in passing. This isn’t the first animal we’ve lost to poison. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

After this incident, when we took the Puppers for a walk, we found an entire chicken, still feathered, in a plastic bag by the side of the road next to a house that has no chickens. That house does have dogs that bark, however.

About five years ago, all the dogs in La Yacata, including our own, were poisoned. That was followed by a rash of burglaries. We lost some goats, the neighbor had a sheep stolen. My brother-in-law’s house was broken into and tools went missing. So we’ve been on edge since Puppy’s death.

We buried Puppy in the backyard under the cherimoya tree. We miss Puppy when we come home. He isn’t there anymore to greet us wagging his tail so hard he looked like a helicopter ready for lift-off.

My son tried to pick up all the bones scattered up and down our road. It’s a nearly impossible task but he felt like he had to do something preventative. He would be devastated if one of his Puppers was poisoned too. They are like his children. He’s paranoid on the walks with the dogs, not letting them even sniff grasshoppers or shrubs, in case there is something poisoned there.

But we go on, as best we can. What else is there to do?

****

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Filed under Animal Husbandry

Tagged as Dogs, having pets, pets in Mexico

March 26, 2015 · 7:00 pm

Old MacDonald’s Farm

All of a sudden we have so many animals that I feel more like the Old Woman in the Shoe than Old MacDonald. And the thing is, we made some drastic reduction in December, so theoretically we should have fewer animals, not more.

Shadow at nearly 2 years

Joey at 7 months

Old MacDonald had some horses

Although we exchanged Beauty for the wood to put on the roof (See Up On the Roof that Almost Wasn’t), we still have Shadow and Joey, two of Beauty’s babies (See Beauty’s Babies). Shadow will be two years old this summer and has begun her heat cycles. We are not interested in breeding her yet. The thing is that Joey, as young as he is, gets all bothersome during these heat cycles. As both horses are housed together, this is a wee bit of a problem. I keep after my husband to put the wall he has had planned for ever so long up, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Old MacDonald had a donkey

We still have ol’ Fiona, although my husband threatens to sell her every few weeks. I argue against it. For one, she does all the plowing at present as the horses are not yet trained. Secondly, when we go on our family horse trips, I ride Fiona, disregarding the opinions of onlookers. She is a dainty walker, not a roller coaster ride like Beauty was, and so much closer to the ground. I am also campaigning for her to have a stall, at least during the rainy season. She so hates to get wet. That too is on my husband’s list of projects. (See Donkey races in La Yacata)

Mischief makers

Old MacDonald had some goats

We sold several goats in December to finish paying for the roof. But lo and behold in February, our remaining goats multiplied. (See Birth and Death) In a little over a week, our herd went from 8 chivas (nanny goats) and one chivo (macho goat) to 20. Well, it is the Year of the Goat according to the Chinese calendar, so I guess we should have seen it coming. (See Goat Genetics)

Jill has the dark face and Mary is the white sheep in front.

Old MacDonald had some sheep

Even though Flaca and Panzas kicked the bucket (See Birth and Death), we still had little Jack. He refused to associate himself with any of the kids, although he had many to choose from. We thought it best to get him a little companion, as sheep are never solitary creatures. So now, Jack and Jill frolic merrily up the feed trough. (See Separating the sheep and the goats) And Mary, whose fleece is white as snow, is right behind them.

Multi-racial chickens, Jack and Brownie

Old MacDonald had some chickens

We have had chickens since the beginning, and I’m ok with that as long as they stay out of my garden. There are periods that we have more than one rooster and the morning ode to dawn is a little more than I can bear. Then I start in on how we don’t want a Palenque (a fighting rooster ranch), and it’s time for chicken soup. (See Why did the chicken cross the road) The number of our hens vary, and as my husband is all about bulikos (speckled), he likes to try for genetic variety in our flock. Just this week, we discovered we have a culeca (broody) hen, and that means peeps before too long!

Meet the Turkeys!

Old MacDonald had some turkeys

One day out in the field that we share-crop, my husband found a turkey–just out of the blue. He snuck up on it and pounced. With a wing clip, Mr. Turkey joined our barnyard critters. He didn’t much like the kids at first and kept pecking at them. We were concerned he might peck out an eye. I think he thought of them as interlopers. He eventually stopped when the sheer number of kids overwhelmed him.

We then found him a Mrs. Turkey and the newly wedded pair couldn’t be happier. Both are a little young for egg production, but we have hopes. The funny thing is the coloring. Mr. Turkey is bluish, and Mrs. Turkey is pinkish–talk about gender coding!

Kinda looks like Thumper!

Old MacDonald had some

We’ve kept rabbits before and always found them light maintenance and reasonably profitable. (See Waskely Wabbits) So when my husband was offered four adult females for $100 pesos, he jumped at the offer. They are currently free-range rabbits, which means my backyard garden is on hold. I think I may have to do a container garden on the roof as rabbits just won’t be contained.

AWW!

Old MacDonald had some cats

We’ve had at least one cat since moving to Mexico. We even brought our cat with us from the U.S. However, our neighbors have caused the premature deaths of many of our cats with a random distribution of rat poison. (See 101 Perritos)

Licorice, aka Lickie, has had 3 litters, but this is the first time any of the kittens have survived. This time, she presented us with three little kittens, Lickie 2, Devil 2 (who looks like our adopted rescue kitten Devil) and Sancha. There’s a joke here. To be “el hijo de Sancho” means the child is the result of someone other than the husband. Lickie 2 looks like her mom. Devil 2 looks like Devil. But Sancha, well, she looked like the neighbor’s tom cat. We put Sancha up for adoption, so that cut the engorda de gatos (cat fattening business) down to 4.

My husband, who isn’t a big fan of cats generally has changed his opinion. Our cats are excellent mousers. As we have quite a bit of dried food to make it through until the rainy season for all of our grazers, there are mice. The cats have been doing a bang-up job of keeping the rodent population to a minimum. I’m a little concerned about the rabbits, though. Baby bunnies look an awfully lot like baby mice after all.

Chokis and Fiona

Old MacDonald had a dog, and Chokis was his name-O

We’ve had a number of puppies and dogs in residence during our 9 years in Mexico. (See 101 Perritos) Our current canine pal is Chokis. My husband has moved him outside the gated community of animals, but he is as faithful as…well a dog. He sleeps next to Fiona right in front of the house and is so pleased to see us pull up on the moto that he pees himself. Talk about puppy love! He does a great job of letting us know when someone passes (as does Fiona).

How now brown cow–uh–bull?

Old MacDonald had a cow

My husband has had a bee in his bonnet for about a year wanting a becerro (cow). I have been opposed to this idea just because we honestly don’t have room. The spacing challenge didn’t dismay him in the least. Finally, he broke down and bought his brother’s year old bull for 3 goats and $3000 pesos. He presented it to me as a rescue mission. He bought the bovine because B didn’t take proper care of him. It’s itty bitty living space was knee deep in mud and poop. Well, the deal was already done, whether or not I approved and so now we have a cow, or rather a bull. The plan is to engordar (fatten) him up and sell him full grown for meat. We tend to get extremely attached to our animals so we will see if that happens or not. Let’s call him Toro

E-I-E-I-O

If you think that this doesn’t seem like many animals for a farm, remember our entire property measures 14 meters x 20 meters, with almost half of that being our house. The multitude does provide plenty of home-grown fun, though. Take a look at some of the chivitos (goats) playing ring around the rosy with Jack. However, I’m not sure that Jack likes it all that much.

See the video here!