Saturday, October 20, 2007

Belshaw's Animal Meme


Photo: the Australian Kelpie.

I am still not sure about memes. But just to keep Legal Eagle happy.

An interesting animal I had

Just at the moment we have, I think, eight cats in resident. Two of our own, plus next door's and her kittens. This excludes Grey Tom who tries to live in out back yard (he is here as I write) despite our efforts to chase him away because he chases our lot.

Here we lost our favourite, Jack, who we dearly loved because he was more like a dog. Wanted to go for walks, for example. Jack now lives down the road. We know he is there, but have not tried to get him back this time because of Grey Tom.

Who says cats are bright? They are dumb apart from their ability to manipulate their custodians. Now dogs, dogs are bright. Which brings me to my point

Rover. How do I describe him? Well, to begin with, he was not a town dog.

Kelpies are farm animals, bred as sheep and cattle dogs. They like order, discipline.

Rover fitted this mould. There was nothing he liked more than rounding up our grandfather's chooks into two groups based on breed, then lying (panting) in the centre waiting for one to dare to move.

Fences? Tell me about them. Rover could go over a tall wire fence by jumping, getting his claws in, then scrambling up and over.

We lost Rover while on holidays. He had been sent back to my Aunt and Uncle's place, got bit by a snake, and died.

An interesting animal I ate

Roasted sparrow while travelling as a twenty year old to Northern Thailand on the train. Too bony.

An interesting thing I did with or to an animal

Mmm! Being chased as a young child by an angry goose around the same size as me. They are fearsome!

An interesting animal at the museum

This has to be the dinosaur at the Sydney museum.

An interesting animal in its natural habitat.

Snakes, or possibly bull ants. Not sure here.

On a hot Saturday afternoon many years ago I went for a walk.

We had gone out to a friend's property and I was bored. Snake after snake crossed the track. After a six foot brown I retreated.

Bull ants are smaller, but they have a very nasty bite. I have not been bitten by a snake. I have by a bull ant.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful dog!

Jim Belshaw said...

They are good looking dogs, with very bright intelligent eyes.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for humouring me! I did enjoy the meme (usually I don't do them, but I like animals).

Vale Rover.

Nasty Grey Tom. My friend's cat used to be bullied by a cat we called "That Black and White Thing". Perhaps it was related to Grey Tom.

Jim Belshaw said...

Thanks, LE. It could well have been related! The problem wasn't so bad while I was working from home. I was around a lot more. I actually pity grey tom a bit. Absense of own home.