The ram - he is much less aggressive when I wear my mirror-like sunglasses and he doesn't like being spit on. In the worst case scenario, grab him by the handle-like horns. Thankfully his horns don't actually point forwards, so getting rammed doesn't hurt that much if you're ready for it.
The gander - I really don't like this guy. In the first few days here he was definitely testing me for weakness. He watches everything with his creepy black eyes and orange eyelids and he's huge and surly. The five geese walk around picking fights with everyone. The first day I hit him in the neck twice when he charged me. Jack made a good observation that he doesn't usually want to attack you, he just doesn't want to ever appear to be the one who backs down. Thus, avoiding confrontation by not watching him or looking him in the eye helps a lot. As a last resort, grab him by the neck. Most of the time I just called the dogs to me.
The horse - he's pretty nice but he's an enormous appaloosa and I was nervous at first. I have heard stories about horses who accidentally broke someone's nose or foot and also that you shouldn't walk behind them. So it was difficult when he cornered me, wanting a snack when I was feeding the peacocks. My strategy was to stay clear of his gigantic feet and to be patient. Also, having someone else throw him apples to eat works like a charm.
The dog - here there are two female dogs who run around and do a lot of play fighting and one older male dog named Choopy. I like them all, but Choopy won my heart. This picture will explain why:
The rooster - thankfully the roosters here were pansies. When I was WWOOFed in Ireland the rooster was the size of a goose and it was essential to bring the dog or a shovel if you went anywhere near him.
The duck - there are three females and one male who gallantly take on the geese (due to a complicated family history of adoption and subsequent rejection by the geese). They kind of remind me of policemen. Oh, and their eggs are wonderful.
Love your explanation of the gander! Perhaps he was trying to seduce you? Not sure why Jack didn't jump to your rescue during your (possibly multiple) attack. His testosterone may have shown him who's boss. Also, it sounds like during each attack, Jack just sat back and watched.
ReplyDeleteP.S. - the photo of the ducks is great.
P.S.S. - in the last sentence about the horse, by "someone" you mean Jack? and by "throw" you mean pitch, right? I wouldn't picture it any other way.
Eye contact seems to be key with most birds. You might try hissing at the goose too, since I'm pretty sure they do that when they're really ticked off. Be glad it's water fowl and not a hawk!
ReplyDeleteJack! Happy Birthday! When you were born, the Huskies were good, the Packers and Mariners sucked, they were having conferences on global cooling, and the international situation was desperate as usual. Today the Huskies and Mariners suck, the Packers are good, they are having conferences on global warming, and the international situation is desperate as usual.
ReplyDelete