Barking Dogs

Okay,it's 1:50 am, I as sleeping soundly when the sound kept going on and on. I knew it was my dog. Okay, I get up and groggily find my way to the bathroom in the pitch dark. Now, I am waking up more and I know this isn't just run of the mill dog barking. Something is really agitating my dog! Okay, I step out on the front deck and see the outline of someone else's dog in my yard. Looks like it is very interested in something on the ground. I run out into the dark in my T-shirt and underwear, barefooted and have flashlight in hand. The strange dog grabs a goose and runs up the driveway dragging the goose.... flop, flop, flop go the goose feet trying to get away. I run up the driveway and down the road, still barefooted and in very little clothing. All the way to the corner. The dog and goose have disappeared. I go back and get pajama pants on and get the van. No sign of the dirty, flock stealing dog. I decide that it's a lost cause and go home, shutting the gate behind me to hopefully avoid any further lost animals to this strange dog. I pat my dog on the head for a job well done, being that she was in the goat pen and could not get out to chase the offending dog away. I lay awake until 3 am, when I finally drag myself back to bed. I awoke to the sound of a goose honk in the living room of my house. Okay, now that's quite odd! I get up to tell my husband that we only have 3 geese as the dog stole one during the night, and that I didn't have the presence of mind to grab a gun, just a flashlight. But as I enter the living room, Billy is standing in the door with the goose in his arms. She is wounded, but found the strength to fight off the dog and get home, get through the closed gate and back to the comfort of her flock. My dog Pearl is very excited to see the goose return and is on he trail of the strange dog. Good dog. I am not particularly fond of the geese, they are great at eating grass and bugs as well as a few snakes here and there, but I got them for my dinner table. I'll be sure to give some to Pearl for doing a great job in guarding.

Geese ~cute little bugeaters??

Okay, I've been down this road before. I may be a little forgetful, but I knew there was something evil and underhanded about geese. Yet, when my friend called me about 6 weeks ago and asked if I wanted some baby geese for free, I didn't hesitate! Sure! I'll be right over!. I loaded 4 huge 7 week old "baby" geese into a large box in the back of my van. There was much kicking and screaming and a few near escapes during the 30 minute drive home. ~From the geese, not me. Not yet. I got them out of the box and into a 6X8 pen to get them acclimated to the new place. Then, one of them is very tricky and is able to escape the pen. I put it back and check for open areas. None. Next morning, one is out again. Okay, everyone out. You can have my yard and eat my bugs and nibble on the plentful weeds and grasses. In the blink of an eye, they are HUGE! These geese are at least 40 pounders and they are getting that look in their eyes when they see me out in MY yard. Their heads go down and they are braced for the attack mode. I weild my "gose wacker" and brave the angry mob. Waiting for them to attack Billy. Then and only then will I get the okay to start the butchering of the wicked geese. I don't get it though. Why do they get mean to the people that they see every day? I am not mean to them, I don't taunt them or chase them.... Do they not know how tasty they are? I have told them on a daily basis of how I will skewer them and roast their fat bodies if they keep challenging me. ~I say this in a very affectionate tone. I am just waiting. I know that it will happen, I just don't know when. There will be a feast, and it will include goose liver pate!