Here is Milo, the incorrigable Jack Russell..
August 15, 2013
I give you ‘Milo’, the incorrigible Jack Russell.
Our pet dog is named Milo and someone asked me to give him his turn in my next piece. Milo celebrated his 8th birthday on the 1st of August. We have recently been thinking of a trip to somewhere, preferably France or back again to Bali. Even though we have nice neighbours willing to care for Milo we thought of upgrading his credentials with the necessary injections at the vet in case of a stay in a kennel.
However, it brings a cold sweat to my armpits thinking of bringing Milo to a kennel. His beseeching eyes after dropping him off will haunt me forever. On the other hand he is skilled in manipulating things to his advantage, knowing full well my guilt gets into automatic very easily. He generally now runs the family and it is him who decides the events of the day and in what order.
Most evenings he now wonders in and out at his will. He either stands in front of the back-yard door or in front of the entrance door. Often he does both within a few minutes. His reason is the possums. He can smell them each evening. In early spring even possums’ thoughts turn to love and are busy plucking flowers from our garden which they garnish with Italian parsley, rosemary and cos lettuce before having an all out orgy with lots of grunting and leaping about. All this enrages Milo, who has decided now to sleep outside.
Before going to bed, usually around mid-night, I check on Milo who just sits under our Manchurian pear tree in which a couple of the possums have managed to climb into. I can see their beady eyes glinting with love/ lust and sex, in that order. So does Milo and he just quickly casts a look at me as if to say; don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them, just go inside boss. The problem is that there are so many of them that despite Milo running about, they slip by and climb from tree to tree. They know Milo can’t climb.
Milo is unperturbed by his lack of being able to climb trees or flying and does practice as much as he can. He leaps up surprisingly high for his size but inevitably returns to earth. At best, he seems to levitate for just a split second and that gives him hope which I am loath to take away. I usually look away when he leaps up so bravely and determinedly, not wishing to be witness when he lands back . I told him we are sure one day he will fly. He quickly looked away as if he somehow knew we were bullshitting. Milo is clever.
Even so, a stay at the kennel might teach him he can’t always have it his way. He will have to behave. I wonder if we will phone him from Paris to find out his welfare. My sister and husband looked after a house whose owners went to the US for 5 weeks. They had two French Bull dogs and the owners phoned up daily to find out about their dogs.
There is hope for Milo.
Tags: French bull dogs., Jack Russell, Paris
Posted in Gerard Oosterman |
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
There’s 86 JRs going: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-22/86-dogs-found-living-in-squalid-home/4904680
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Did my comment re: possums get through.
BTW, Shiva is a domestic Shot Hair with Tort trimmings; the RSPCA give cats away that are over a certain age. I feel so sorry for these older cats because they’ve obviously been much loved but someone’s mother/father have been bundled off to an Old Soaks Home which won’t accept animals.
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My cat Shiva, manipulates me with a practised paw. I got her for nothing at the RSPCA and a year later she runs the place. She becomes ‘stressed’ if anything is out of order and if I tell her ‘No, you’re not allowed out at night and by now you should realise this,’ She sits on a rug near my feet and settles herself with her back turned towards me. Honestly??!!??
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Seems we all have possums in common. They love apricots.
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Our Dana, a 9 year old schnauzer cross, notes the possums in the back yard, gives a bark and moves on to her favoured position curled up and asleep.
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Job done then.
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Our Fergus, a West Highland Terrier, is ten and spends similar amounts of time defending the household from possums. We are next to a large bushland park, so the possums, as well as bush-rats and green tree snakes, wander into the yard looking for a feed. Fergus is umbraged by this, so often darts out through the doggy door to chase the offenders. Unfortunately, he has a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which re-ruptured post repair, so his ability to actually catch anything is nil. At least he tries!
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Yes, it is the trying that is important. Milo says hello to Fergus, also never to give up.
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Yes, it’s all in the trying. Hello to Milo from Fergus.
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I love Lolas and Milos. They are my best friends. 🙂
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…and Danas, and Ferguses…
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Is Lola a Jack Russell? Milo used to keep the rabbits away at the farm. He was overwhelmed by the numbers though and as he was chasing them they scattered everywhere. Occasionally he would come home with a ‘kill’ and lay it down at the front door. He would also bury bodies in our vegie garden for a later day.
They are the best most intelligent dog around. We never bothered with injections of any kind but kennels insist on paper work in order, so…we did finally give in.
I am sure Milo will cope. He knows we will be back. Often we go for a few days and just leave the back door open so he can come and go as he pleases.
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Gerard, I included a photo of her in my first piece for the pub. She is a JR cross, we think with a mini foxy. Tan and white and small – 4 kgs. She was abandoned and wandered around the area till she found her way up our driveway and wound up staying. We had JRs before (and labs before that) and have found Lola to be extra special and intelligent.
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Our Lola and your Milo are pretty much the same age. Lola is more concerned about keeping the rabbits away from her fenceline and same goes for some birds which have no right to be in her backyard. Lola has not been to a kennel as we tend to holiday separately. She gets her annual jabs anyway, just in case. But I do wonder how Milo will cope – he won’t like it but he will probably accept it. You must explain to him how long you will be away for so he can count the days. Seriously.
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