MacDuck

Born to Woodrena on a cold day in March 2010. I found Mom and the 6 little babies looking for water but there was none these little babies could skate upon, So into the house they came and stayed the remainder of winter. The MacDucks were turned into pets and let you pet them. They were so small they didn't make much of a mess but I wonder what mom was feeding on for she frequently left huge patches of tar. I wish I could house train a duck!
Today this brave guy is all alone as his whole family was killed by the coyote. All but him.

Mother Goose

Mother Goose sitting on a nest.

McLeod & McLeod with Lola in the lead are still looking for the babies. Just saying "where's the babies!" sends them into a honking frenzy. I'm also sad but practical in the thought that some thing has got to be done. I don't know what. It is the only thing I have been thinking about. Because, Mama goose who had babies a few years ago, is sitting on 6 eggs. She has been there a little more then a week. She had 6 babies before but every morning I would come out and find one dead. That was the first time I started sleeping in my car, or rather staying up all night sitting in the car. On the one occasion I dozed I woke and found a wound on the side of the face of one the last remaining two. I brought it in the house. Cleaned the wound and kept him it there for about a week before it healed then sent him back out. As I remember, the geese were so happy to see their baby back but the fact they still had one, probably contributed to their contentment.  At that time we built a new area for the animals, making them closer to the house and easier to feed especially in the winter. I didn’t have another problem with predators until the coyote showed up this spring. Crap! The geese are honking. I gotta go.

all my babies are dead!

The first thing I saw was my baby duck dead, upon opening the pen this morning, I thought, crushed by the pig. I pushed everyone out as I searched for the other 2 babies. They were no where to be found. I started crying, or rather screaming. I do that. Especially when faced with the thought that something got my babies. Billy comes running and I explain, meanwhile Mom and Dad geese are having their own trauma while they transverse the whole yard in search of their young. I recover and realize mom and dad are pushing the ducks off their nests looking for the babies. I went back to the one baby and looked closely at the wound and discovered it wasn’t a crush but had two puncture wounds on its chest. OMG! A ferret or mink got them. Billy thinks rats but I think the wounds were too wide spaced. Possibly even a possum or skunk. What ever it is; I need to build something impenetrable to small rodents and then some how train the geese and ducks to bring their babies there to sleep. Crap and meanwhile do my housework, books and I’m low on duck food, I need to go shopping and there is so much laundry. With this nice weather it can go on the line. I wish Bernard would stay out of the bed, He is such a mess. I really need a vacation.

Little Bit

Was the baby till we had more babies. Lil bit was born late last year and unlike all the other babies we've seen, This one didn’t stay with his mother. She frequently looked for him but he was roaming from a few days old, He was an independent duck. He entertained himself and when he did seek company it was always with the big drakes that practically ignored him. When the temperatures dropped below freezing, I brought him in the house. He may have been fine, I don’t know. For my own peace of mind, he was. He became like a dog, fighting the dogs for table scraps. He was at the table Thanksgiving day! He stayed in all winter and to this day he goes out to play every morning. He comes in to sleep every night.

Faith, Hope and Charity

I had 3 babies June 8th 2011,
The new babies were born at.....Well I saw them at dawn but she stayed on the nest for 2 days hoping for more. Dad has an integral part of parenthood and stays right with the babies helping Mom. My friend Mark has been here getting pics of their progress. Their so cute.

But he has to be careful, Mom can be Nasty!

Tiger

Tiger is probably our oldest kitty. The first time I saw Tiger, he was curled up sleeping in a car that I was going to show a customer. I just about opened the door when I spotted the cat. What a nasty looking cat. A real Tom. Scratches and scars all over his face and ears and a rat tail with no hair from the middle of his back down. I was scared of it and didn’t know how I was going to get it out of my car. Needless to say, I just left it alone. I saw it more and more often and noticed it ate the cat food out of the dish with our kitties and a few Raccoons who also took up residence in the building. In time we realized it was just a homeless kitty looking for a meal. But he was a tom and started stinking up the place. Our Vet makes house calls as we have so many animals and on one visit I asked the vet if I got the cat fixed will it stop spraying. He said, “I don’t know but let’s find out.” I brought the cat upstairs into our apartment and he fixed the guy right on my dining room table. It didn’t take 10 minutes. Actually it took longer for the sedative to take effect then to remove his dipity-doos.
What a beautiful cat today. His wounds cleared up and his hair grew back, He doesn’t fight any other animals at all  And he never sprayed again.

Smoky Kitty

It was a very cold night in January when I came across this very thin frail kitty. He or she was sitting on the front porch of an apartment building where a lady friend lived. I had seen the cat on a previous visit but this time it was so cold. I carried the cat in and presented it to my friend as a gift she told me to put the cat out! I didn’t. I complained to her it was to cold for the kitty to be out. She insisted I remove the kitty so I put it in the laundry room.
My lady friend told me that it belonged to a girl who moved out in November and left the cat behind. I couldn’t figure out why no one has rescued or helped the poor thing. Left like garbage. And that is what it was the next morning. For when the Super of the building found it in the building, He bragged to my friend that he threw it in the dumpster. I didn’t know that when I returned that same evening and found it still sitting on her porch. I didn’t mess around. And I took the cat home. I don't know if its a boy or girl but I do know, There are 24 apartments in this building and not one humane caring person! I wrote a letter to my MP naming this abuser and wondered what kind of person would up and move and not care what became of the animal left like trash on the curb. I named it smoky and what a grateful little kitty. Sweet and forgiving to the same race that was so cruel.

Lex, Luk, lester- A stray that came to stay!

One day in the dead of winter we got a call from a boy that wanted to find a home for his dog. He said his landlord is making him get rid of the dog because he constantly barks. I didn't want another dog. But the kid kept calling and I finally agreed to help him find the dog a home. I tried but no one wanted a dog. I told the kid I was sorry but I couldn't help him. He then said he was going to set the dog loose. It is -18C out and I told him the poor dog would freeze. I should have told him to cut it loose!
He brought the dog over and I put him in the garage for the night. The next morning when I entered the garage, the dog growled at me. Not in my house! I growled right back and the dog ran and hid. That day I found him a home. Lex was gone may-be 3 hours and returned because he didn't get along with their other dog. Then I found him another home and was gone for almost a week. He was returned because he tore the garbage apart. Good Grief! I had him castrated and sent to school. The dog trainer said he guaranteed every dog to pass or they stayed in school. We have had the dog for about 4 years now and he would still be taking doggy classes! He is so stubborn and still does constantly bark.
I cut him loose. All my dogs run loose. People complain and they are frequently in the pound, but I get them out and set them loose again. I have learnt that they don’t go anywhere and if they do, they come back. Lex, once loose made friends all around the neighbourhood. Our neighbour Chuck owns a garage and he and lex were constantly seen together. I even have seen them drive by in a car. I asked Chuck about it and he said Luck likes car rides. He called him Luck. Everyone has a different name for the dog. One day a guy came to our house and said our dog lex jumped on his hood and scratched it, I said he’s not my dog and sent them to Chuck’s. I’m still laughing about that one.

The puppy

This is my baby Buster. No special stories about him, We traveled to Florida together and what a great dog to travel with but for some reason he peed when ever I entered our house there. I don't know why some dogs just don't learn how to climb stairs. He would be trouble if he could. But he can't and his space is limited to the apartment and the roof but at least he doesn't pee. On my next trip to Florida, He was left behind.

 I got Maggy May, when she was so small. I really didn't think she would live but what a tiger. She would jump into the big dogs dish, even though it was bigger then she and would growl if anyone came near their own dish. What a brave little girl. How many time have I dumped you, Let me count. I have several times gone somewhere and left Maggy behind. I don't know why but I once went to the car wash and forgot her. Went back and she was waiting for me. And then left her at a gas station, Drove half way to Toronto before I noticed her missing, Then she made friends at the feed store, a friends house, etc. Everyone tries to catch her but she is so shy of strangers, Yet once she is comfortable with you, Guard your ankles! She will attack! Right Maggy? She is right now sleeping at my feet. Thats what she does when she is not wondering where I went.

  Bernard or Lumberjack as I call him was a mistake! I bought him for a present for my husband but If I could change my mind! He is a huge mess! He has eaten several of my chickens and may-be a duck too. I had 2 banter chicken that were my pets and lived with me. Nancy and Frank. HE ATE THEM BOTH! I cried to lose them. I wished I had the money I paid for him back! The one conciliation is that large breed dogs don't live long. He's now 3, At least he was with me to guard against the coyote. (snoring)

Dakota - Such a nice kitty

The day Dakota came to us was probably the only time I have ever rescued an animal that made me cry. I became friends with an old man in town one day while I was digging a grave for a squirrel, killed on the road in front of my house. I have always picked up road kill and buried it. That or What? Do I drive over and by it until....How long would it take to disintegrate? Any way, Bill, The old man also shared my love for animals and frequently dumped unwanted animals on me from his neighbours. He gave me a rabbit one time that attacked my Doberman! I gave the rabbit away but had to buy its food for the rest of its life as the benefactor could supply a home but could not afford to feed him. One day Bill asked me if I would give his neighbour’s cat a home. The owner no longer wanted it as it was his daughters and she has gone off to school. He took it to the pound but they want him to pay. So he brought it back home and cocked off to the neighbour, my friend Bill that he was going to drown the cat. Bill of course offered me as a home. They brought Dakota into the house and what a friendly beautiful cat. Very thin as it was only fed dog food, but loving. You could see this was a pleasant cat and did nothing to warrant being dumped. They stayed for only a moment and left, and at that moment, Dakota ran with them to the door. He cried and pawed at it for the longest time. He could see them drive away through the window and he was so sad. It tore my heart out to watch his anguish. For a few weeks, Dakota stayed near the door waiting. One day he disappeared. I wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t happy.
My neighbour Bonnie invited me for dinner one summer afternoon and I found Dakota. Bonnie said that was her new cat Daisy. I told her Daisy was a boy named Dakota and took him home. He had been with me for five years before he developed a urinary track infection. I had to switch all the cats onto this very expensive special food from the vet for this aliment and he recovered. He is fine now, and is still the most adorably loving cat, shedding fur balls all over my house!

Teddy bear and Bugs

I once bought 3 baby goats and hand raised them. I heard they have a high mortality rate so I was expecting to lose them but they lived. I wished I remembered how much trouble they were. Constant feedings and watching them every minute or they ate everything. And yes they were raise in my house!  What a disaster!  When they were big I moved them outside into their own area and they enjoyed the freedom. A while later I encountered more baby goats. I forgot the work and brought another 2 home. They were real small, may-be days old. I didn't think they would live but thought to make their last days pleasant. One had long floppy ears, I named him Bugs and the other had no ears and I named him Teddy. Otherwise they looked identical. Like the first three, they lived and had a better go of it as the first had a cough and were on antibiotic shots. When the goats were 6 months old they were sent to the vet to be castrated. Male goats stink otherwise. I fed them milk from the bottle and our vet kept telling me to switch them to grain. Milk is so expensive, I wanted to use it all up. They were almost 7 months old and still sucking a bottle. Taking the bottle away was hard. When they cried, I indulge them.

Bugs was so cute. You just wanted to hug him. He wasn’t nice though, As soon as you came close to him BUCK! He loved to hammer you with his rapidly growing horns. Teddy on the other hand was a complete baby. As long as he was content things were quiet but if he wasn’t, He could be heard a county away screaming. You would not believe how loud this goat could cry. We kept him happy. They are about five years old today and Teddy no longer cries and Bugs no longer bucks. Actually now teddy is quite aloof and could care less about anyone. Bugs is now the big baby and wants attention or you can just stand with him and let him eat your cloths. He has eaten the shirt right off my back!

Hammy - A big black pot belly pig

Ham came to us from an animal rescue. Some people like to think that they rescue animals but a few save the animal from the imminent danger and then forget about them, as was the case with Hammy. He was saved then stuffed into a cage so small he couldn’t walk, rarely fed or watered and left like this for 2 years. A kind neighbour took pity on the pig and started to feed and water him but also looked for a better home. I don’t know how they found me but they asked me if I would give the pig a home. I didn’t want to but when faced with the poor things predicament, I felt I had no choice.

When Hammy arrived I was scared of him. He was so big for a pot belly pig and looks absolutely vicious. He was atrophic and had to be pushed off the truck. It didn’t take me long to realize that this pig was scared of everyone. It was six months before he was moving freely and another 6 months before he would trust me enough to let me pet him. Today he is still shy but he has a life where his bowl is always full, unlimited water, and a house with dry straw that he shares with 2 goats and a large yard where he has made a mud hole. He is frequently seen playing with the goat Pepper.

Stricker The duck

Stricker, The duck that thought she was goose. Killed by a coyote. It wasn't until the death of this duck that inspired my friends to join the hunt for the coyote. She was so cool. Everybody liked her. It was the only duck the geese allowed to hang with them. and she really thought she was one of them. One morning I went into the yard and Stricker was on the top of the berm quacking repeatedly. I joined her on the berm and thats when I saw the coyote. Not 30 feet away hiding behind a car. I screamed at it and it took off and Stricker stop quacking. I'm so sad to think that it was this same coyote that finally got her.

MacCloud & MacCloud

Ate by the coyote but recovered though he will never be the same. He is scared of what's out there!
Started with 8 geese and now I'm down to five. Coyote ate 3 and about 30 ducks From the middle of April till the end of May. But I have cured that problem. No I didn't shoot the coyote. I instead lock everyone up at night. Wow! Did it take me a long time to come up with that one or what? I slept in my car, in the driveway for 4 weeks trying to catch the coyote and the night I fell asleep to the steady rhythm of Bernard’s snores, I woke to find my 3 foot gander attacked. He actually cried. I saw tears roll from his eyes. At that moment I declared war on the varmint. I didn't sleep anymore. Me and several friends set up all around the yard, all night long. No matter where it came from we had it covered. We were ready but still could not catch it. We saw it every night but it seemed to see us first and flew away. It came at various hours between 12am-8am. We usually seen it around 5am Then one day my Aunt Judy wrote that her friend locks all their birds up at night and I knew that was what I should have been doing all along. Freedom! Freedom! Free them. The few left are all alive and well and secure and free all day long. And I'm back in my bed at night.

Lola our lost lady

Lola, our lost lady, came to us one cold day at the end of February. A neighbor called and said "Your goose is in my back yard!" I did not believe this because if the neighbor had one of my geese in their yard then they had them all. They stay together. I counted my geese. I told him he got himself a pet goose. He told me, he has a pet pit bull.

I got myself another goose. It took about a month before she blended with the others and is now leading the pack, Out into the road!