Four Short Vignettes
(click on photos to enlarge)
The Killer
Now is this the face of a killer? Heidi is the gentlest and most affectionate animal you would want. EXCEPT! When she has a chance to grab a pig. Three times she has managed to grab the Runt, luckily while I had her on the leash. Twice she grabbed him by the ear and the last time Heidi's head shot out the back window of the truck and grabbed the Runt by the snout (fully in his mouth.) It was all I could do to get her to let him go before the whole herd of pigs showed up to join in the commotion.
As I mentioned earlier, Great Danes were bred to hunt Wild Boar in Germany. It seems Heidi has a genetic disposition to attack pigs.
There will be no cute pictures of Heidi and Runt lying together in front of the cook stove or on the love seat.
The Retreat
In order to be able to let Heidi off here leash I take her over to the cabin with me. Here she is resting on the porch while I remove nails from the hardwood flooring my son removed from his house and intends to install in the cabin. The lumber is for some work inside the cabin to close in the gable ends. My neighbour cut the trees and had it sawn into lumber. The porch swing is a donation from my sister. It used to hang on her house in Toronto. It is a nice place to just sit and contemplate the view below.
This is the view in from of the cabin. Table, fire pit and a small patch of lawn (a cabin in no place to spend your time maintaining the landscaping) is the center of activity. We do not cut right to the river to protect the river from erosion and allow a place for frogs, and such, to shelter. There are also several kinds of plants I like that grow their, particularly Wild Iris and Mint The bush in the foreground right is a dogwood.
This berry bush is highbush cranberry. It is not a related to the cranberries found in the bogs.
In recipes it can often replace cranberries. You can make a lovely jelly with them, best picked after the first frost. I have made jelly when the berries were in all three colours, yellow, orange and red (the colour when ripe.) These berries cling to the branches through the winter and are a source of food for the birds.
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The Drama
I had an email from a blogging friend who said she saw an ad for a found dog that looked like Gage! This got me going as I am not absolutely sure my neighbour killed him since I never recovered the body. This dog was found up in the bush about forty miles north of River Valley by a couple going into Yorkston Lake.
I called my daughter in law in Sturgeon and she went over to the store to get the telephone number and the details.
While waited I was wonder if it just could be Gage.???? What would I do with two large dogs? Keep them and love them , of course. How wonderful if it was him and I could have my beloved dog back. Damn! I would have to apologize to my killer of a neighbour. I would have to give up my bed to the dogs and move into the spare room. etc, etc.
I got to call the woman who had the dog and determined it was not Gage. I guess no apology will be coming any time soon. It was very exciting for an afternoon. It was difficult keeping a lid on my emotions.
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The Garden
David and June have been having fun harvesting some of the raised garden. The beets are a long variety (like a thick carrot) which are quite large and will be good for pickling. The onions are a good size. The large ones will be dried and stored while the small ones will be pickled. The most exciting discovery has been the the potatoes. They are huge. Every plant has large ones under it. Given that the top foot of the garden is well aged manure and we have had lots of rain this year, we should not be surprised. Dave and June sure are excited! They are now talk of making more raised gardens. (What they mean is ME making more raised gardens.)
posted by Tossing Pebbles in the Stream @ 8:12 p.m.
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10 Comments:
a lot going on around your place. Poor Heidi. Give her a pork chop or bacon for breakfast and maybe she will leave runt alone. LOL Love the cabin! Wish I lived in it
Ah the trials and tribulations of pets. I find it hard to understand how traits (such as hunting) can actually be bred into dogs. I know they can, but the how puzzles me greatly.
Oh poor little runt, having his snout grabbed!
Heidi looks very content Philip, I love how she is lying on the porch... nothing doing... just resting. :o)
I suppose that there is still a possibility that gage is out there somewhere and there could be a time when you are in the other room... you never know!
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Gage would protect the runt from Heidis Snout Attack!
Lovely pics Philip, I enjoyed the read.
Poor little runt!! You'll heve to be very vigilant with the two of them!
I had no idea that Danes were used to hunt wild boar, interesting!
Hi Philip.. this as made great reading, I'm sorry the dog was not Gage... and I'm sorry the runt as lost a good friend as well.. but thats life...
I am in the middle of shutting down my blog Wiggers World... I will be back there later in the year and I'm still about doing Sky Watch, Todays Flowers, and ABC Wednesday. But that will be from a new blog just for those. I will of course still be visiting the blogs of buddies such as you... I have enjoyed coming by here from my very first visit and really enjoyed all your winter post and seeing how you and your stock coped. I will be here again soon.. but don't wqorry if you go over to mine and it is not up dated.
Tom
Poor little piggy. :( I'm so sorry you got your hopes up for Gage. Has to feel like he was ripped from your arms all over again.
No need for me to add sympathy for the Runt (who is no longer runt size, right?).
Goodness--Heidi looks so innocent. It's hard to imagine her on the attack.
Had it been Gage, you might have had your hands full--one attacking the Runt, the other defending?!
She looks so adorable and doesn't like pigs ! That happens we can't love everybody can't we ? How terrible it must have been for you to first have hope to get Gage back and then the big disappointment ! The place of your cabin looks wonderful !
I sure hope the pigs survive Heidi. I didn't know they were bred to hunt boar!
Sorry it wasn't Gage. That would have been wonderful if it had of been.
The view from the cabin is wonderful, and the garden goodies sound great!
That's so doubly heartbreaking to get your hopes up all over again about the possibility of the dog being Gage.
I wonder if there is a way to UNTRAIN Heidi about her need to eat pig snout.
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