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| Maggie and Henny Penny |
My collie, Maggie, and a little hen given to me last spring, have developed a friendship. Henny Penny had been picked on by the roosters at her former home. She ended up being picked on by at least one of my four old hens, too, so I let her run free where she has established a friendship with my old male guinea and my dog. Henny Penny follows Maggie around and sometimes Maggie follows her. Henny Penny has no fear of Maggie, and in the morning when I toss small pieces of bread on the barn floor before Maggie can get it, Henny Penny runs up and snatches them from under Maggie’s nose. On nice days Maggie prefers to nap in the afternoon outside and often I see Henny Penny resting rather close to her. Henny Penny will also go into the lean to where my ponies go to get out of the hot sun and walks around between their legs. They’re careful not to step on her.
A
young stray collie my husband picked up years ago from the streets outside the
business where he worked and brought home became a wonderful dog. She had
tumors on three legs and no one answered my found dog ad. The vet who removed
the tumors and spayed her said she’d been abandoned because of the tumors. I
named her Eliza Doolittle and Eliza looked after kittens born in the barn, and
wrapped herself around a sick chicken once. She also loved to play with my
daughter’s pet goat. I wish I’d taken pictures of her, but if I did, I can’t
find them.
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| Molly and Freddy |
After
my indoor/outdoor cat didn’t come back one day, I waited and waited for her to
return, but when she didn’t, I answered an ad in the paper and adopted a little
black and white tuxedo kitten I named Fred Astaire (Freddy). I put him in a
crate in the sunroom with a litter box, food and water until he’d adjust to his
new home. Molly, the collie I had before Maggie, fell instantly in love with
him, but he was terrified of her. Within several days of me holding him and
letting Molly sniff him, they became best friends. Even though he was a feisty
little fellow who would leap on her back and claw at her ears, or jump up under
her chin and cling to her ruff and let
her drag him around, she never once growled at him. They became inseparable
friends except when I took Molly for walks.
I’d
heard about other friendships between different species of animals so I went to
my old friend Google and looked up some of those and found some amazing
friendships.
(
www.bored panda.com/unusual-animal-friendships –interspecies/)
Have
you had a pet who befriended animals of other species?
I'm fascinated by the animals who step up and nurse other breeds. Apparently, it is not uncommon. My cats and birds all get along, in fact, the cockatoo enjoys a cup of tea every night while the six cats munch dinner on the floor all around her. The smaller birds (conures) will often buddy up with a cat and go for a cat ride. The funny thing about that, when the bird has had enough, it will jump off and nip the cat's nose. Now, you would think the cat would take offense, and revenge. No such thing, instead, they spring all fours in the air while backing up. Animals are interesting indeed.
ReplyDeleteMy cats and dogs have all gotten along very well -- once the cats trained the dogs, that is.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful stories, Gloria. Have you used them in your books or short stories?
ReplyDeleteWe transitioned from one dog to two when my mother died, our sixty pound standard poodle and a fifteen pound geriatric miniature poodle. They became the best of friends and when the little guy died, the big guy grieved so much that we acquired a puppy to keep him company.
We only have grand dogs and frequently keep them when our grown children are away. One is a lab/pit bull blend and the other a very large Rhodesian Ridgeback. You would think the combination would not work, but they became fast friends and love being together. Hard on my hardwood floors though.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. Alas, my Sammy is a ferocious feline when it comes to dogs, and I would never let him near my grandcat Koko, who lives across the street.
ReplyDeleteKait, how funny how well they get along and when the birds have had enough they nip the cat's nose and the cat doesn't fight back.
ReplyDeleteJim, that was true with my cats and Maggie, too. At least it was Brat Cat who scared Maggie into staying away from her. Now Brat Cat rolls over for belly rubs where Maggie gets hers in the living room, and she has taken to sleeping on the hardwood floor near my bookcases in the library because that's where Maggie sleeps on hot days, or in Maggie's bed in the sun room.
Margaret, I haven't used them in my short stories, but I did put Maggie in my later books, but I'm calling her Molly because Catherine has a close friend named Maggie. Catherine also has a cat, but I haven't included the relationship between the dog and cat yet.
Grace, dogs are pack animals so like having other dogs around, usually, although not all dogs do. I'm part of Maggie's pack, I think, and the cats to a lesser extent.
Marilyn, when I first got Maggie at 18 months old, she was terrorized by one of my two sister cats I'd adopted the month before. I ended up calling that cat Brat Cat because she' jump out hissing and clawing at Maggie from around the corner. The cats had no front claws when I got them, but Maggie didn't know that and would go slipping and sliding across the
hardwood floors trying to get away from her. Now although they don't exactly cuddle up to
one another they will sleep somewhat near one another.
We have a German Shepherd that was labeled as aggressive and in a kill shelter. We brought him home, and he is not only a gentle soul, but a great bird lover. He likes nothing better than to hang with our flock of hens. He watches them for hours, and if he goes off to chase a squirrel, always returns to see how the chickens are faring. It's heartwarming! As are your animals getting along so splendidly, Gloria. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLida, it makes me wonder if your dog was mistreated by a previous owner and that's why he was aggressive, if he ever was. My last collie always rounded up my chickens when I let them loose to free range and herded them back into their chicken coop. Also, once she found a nest of wild baby rabbits, and took them out, lined them up, and washed each one of them. I put them back and kept her away from them, but I don't think the mother ever returned. Something got them a few days later.
ReplyDeletePerhaps them most interesting dog we had in terms of getting along with other animals was a Rottweiler who was an adult when we got him. Knowing the Rottweiler reputation, we were very firm with him at first about not bothering cats and not running deer. We soon realized we'd overdone it, and he had come to the conclusion that cats were above dogs in the pecking order. A cat could come up and push him away from his food dish, and if a cat decided to lie down in the middle of his bed, he would drape himself around the edge so as not to disturb it. At one point he encountered a tiny fawn who should have been bedded down but was wandering in the road. He touched noses with it, gave it a lick, and came home. One time he tried to bring me a copperhead. Fortunately he'd grabbed it right behind the head, so it couldn't bit him, but we were concerned about him getting bitten when he put it down. We put a leash on his collar, told him to "drop it" and pulled him away quickly. Fortunately that worked.
ReplyDeleteLoved this, KM. My Maggie considers the cats her superior, at least Brat Cat. Maggie also found a little fawn in the woods and trotted along behind it not barking at it or harassing it in any way except for being behind it.
ReplyDelete