[lit-ideas] Re: A treat and a blanket for Flanagan and Allen
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:44:54 -0800
JL,
Hmmm, how to explain . . . Imagine taking food down to (1) Allen who
doesn't stick around and (2) 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?
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.
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 7:50 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] A treat and a blanket for Flanagan and Allen
Lawrence,
you can tell me to mind my own business.
But why not try next time
bring a few treats
and a warm 'security' blanket
for
-- we have to name them --
Flanagan (the mongrel) and Allen (the boxer).
Imagine those cold nights -- as R. Paul in link he provides re: Grayfriars
Bobby -- he did spend some time in the nearby pub, and that's nothing like
the
near-jungle (affectionately speakig) by the river, right?
I wonder when the last time they had a treat Allen was.(that's not
grammatical to annoy Ritchie).
Cheers,
JL
Other related posts: