Sunday, May 16, 2010

For rent.... cheep.

Although we had a little Dutch Dwarf rabbit for eight years, he died last year. This is not him. This is one of many of our yards regular inhabitants.

Our Tibetan Spaniel "Pugsley" grew up with the rabbit as his big brother. And because of this, he is very comfortable around the wild animals that pass through our small yard. His temperament would scare most people out of their skin even though he's so cute and fluffy that you just want to snuggle with him. He wouldn't hurt a fly but would scare the hell out of you when he barks.

The rain finally stopped and we had an entire day of high winds, which dried the grass in the lawn, even though the rivers are still overflowing their banks. So today it was sunny and warm (finally) and I was able to cut our lawn. We have the thickest, fullest and greenest lawn in the entire neighborhood. A place that all the neighborhood dogs love to go to pooh. I mean, would you go in the outhouse when their is a spa next door? So I was able to catch Pugsley enjoying his kingdom here in these shots.







We have had the pleasure to experience quite a miracle right here in our little yard. A few months ago, a couple of robins took up residence in a small white pine about 15 feet from our front door. We watched as they built a solid nest about 3 feet off the ground. We are convinced that they chose the spot because of the protection afforded them by our very own resident Tibetan Spaniel. We watched him watching them build the nest, lay eggs and hatching the eggs. All the while he was just inches away from them. The baby birds hatched and Pugsley was one of the first things that they saw in this big world. The Pugs, as we call him, protected them from intruders more than once. Sometimes he'd want to go outside, just to sit with them. We could get close enough to actually put worms in the mouths of the babies. It was truly amazing.





Then, just as quickly as it all started, it all came to an end. One morning, I came home from work and Pugs was all excited. The babies were out of the nest. This is this little guys first day of flight. And so far, he still hanging around. The other two have left us. But this little guy likes it here. And Pugs loves him hanging around too. Who knows where that relationship will go.



So now we have an empty nest for real. We've put a "For Rent" sign up. But so far there are no takers. As the sign says, it's "cheep". So if you know of anyone looking for a nice home with a park like yard and a wonderful guard dog, send them our way.

3 comments:

Jim said...

Too cute!! Love your dog Pugs....a real protector!
We have robins here in Nova Scotia and I remember one year one of them was very friendly all summer long.....it wouldn't eat out of my hand but every time I went into the garden it would make it's presence known and I'd feed it worms from 3 to 5 feet away.Great fun.

buzz howell said...

Great story about your dog and your neighborhood Robins.!! Thanks for sharing ..... I'm sure I would like being your next door neighbor !! Have a nice day. Regards, Buzz buzzehh@yahoo.com

Des said...

A heartwarming, delightful story! Thank you so much for sharing it and reminding us of the magic of life in a world that is so full of hate and intolerance right now!