[lit-ideas] Re: Feral Dogs at the River

In a message dated 2/27/2009 12:41:10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

"Hmmm, how to explain . . .   Imagine taking food down to Allen  who doesn’t 
stick around and Flanagan who is skittish and doesn’t stick  around very long. 
 Imagine also that you have two large Rhodesian  Ridgebacks who can take food 
away from said Allen and Flanagan should any such  food appear in their 
midst.   Imagine holding out food, which your  Ridgebacks will recognize and 
think 
ought to be offered to them.    Allen isn’t going to be there because he 
skedaddled the moment you showed  up.  Flanagan may be hungry but not hungry 
enough 
to fight two very large  Ridgebacks for it.  He, sensibly, would suspect that 
he would come to harm.  Still, feeling benign, merciful and very like St. 
Francis you desire to get food  to Flanagan if not to Allen so you leave it on 
the ground and tell your  Ridgebacks not to touch it.  As you walk away you see 
that Flanagan hasn’t  touched the food but is instead high-tailing it after 
Allen.  Will they  come back later and get the food?  Or will they come back 
the 
next day to  discover that coyotes have eaten it?  Or will, which is far more 
likely,  one or both of your Ridgebacks disappear as though chasing after a 
rabbit and go  back and eat the food themselves?"
 
Excellent contingency planning scenario.
 
I think the coyote scenario will prevail. Bad idea in the first  place.
 

"As to a blanket (not understanding how I could give them a “security”  
blanket) they wouldn’t be likely to use it.  They would have their  nest-like 
places where they curl up at night to keep warm.  They’ve  probably even found 
some places to protect them from rain.  I checked today  and the back part of 
the 
senior trailer park and the housing project beyond it  come closer to the 
river than I remembered.  The back parts are fenced, but  few fences are 
perfect 
so it would be easier than I thought for dogs to get from  these places to the 
river, but if they did, I would suspect they would be closer  to those 
housing developments which were perhaps a mile up river and another  mile in 
from 
the river’s bank from where Allen and Flanagan hang out. In the  past when I 
saw 
dogs I suspected of having been “dumped.”  They hung around  the spot where 
they had been left hoping their owners would eventually come back  and 
retrieve them.  I did leave some food and water for some of them when I  saw 
what 
they were doing.  They were left during the hot period when there  was no water 
at the river.  At present there is water in a few places; so  Flanagan and 
Allen won’t go thirsty."
 
Good to know. Yes, they are good 'survival' dogs -- and nothing better than  
good freshwater from a stream.
 
Cheers,

JL


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