Gone to the Dogs

[digitS']

Our horse was not always interested in being ridden and would play his little game of running towards then past us when we showed up in the field and walked toward him. He would do this 2 or 3 times then tire of the game and we could walk up to him. Really, he could probably be led by holding his mane. He didn't appreciate a bit and we usually rode him with just his halter.

Willie would become beyond docile when children were set on his back.

That doesn't mean he wouldn't make mistakes. A couple times, I recall, it was like, "oh, am I standing on your foot?" He actually seemed surprise that I was becoming very stressed!

Steve ouch!

 

[flowerbug]

Poor mother.
If there's one thing I have learned through getting Nancy, not all dogs that bark are meaninh to be threatening, like your mother, it's fear.

Hopefully she will meet a dog she can connect with to help her one day

the chance of that is so remote i would consider it more likely she'd be hit by an asteroid...

anyone a fool enough to try to give us a dog would deserve to get bitten (by Mom or me or both at this point - i'm getting old, i don't have much to lose... ). note, i do not ever want a dog - i know that. i do not personally dislike them unless they are poorly trained and obnoxious, but otherwise i enjoy them but i also do not ever want one (or more).

a long time ago i established that my level of pet care involves things like plants or close to that level of care.

aquariums were interesting enough to me to keep me engaged enough, but then i had to move and sold those off (i had several including a 100 gallon reef tank). had i been able to deal with motion sickness i would have gone into reef biology for a living. i love swimming and warm water. very likely would also be dead by now because i'm stupid enough to do dumb things at the wrong time and you really can't be stupid and survive diving for long. so ... here i am.

worms are good enough for critters indoors. my level of interaction and care needed for them is perfect (near plant like ).

 

[flowerbug]

i understand that everyone wants to defend the animals and put the blame elsewhere, but we recently had this discussion already and it is true that some animals are not good natured any more than some people. it takes all types and all types seem to exist.

as for the event that got me tangled up in the ropes was a problem of the horse being in a backyard that had an unxpected obstacle which nobody thought of being a problem or to be concerned about. there wasn't an adult leading the horse but there were a lot of kids there and doing various things. nobody was riding the horse and i don't know how it got aimed or ended up walking through the clotheslines, but when it did the ropes got caught on the saddle horn and it bolted at that point and when it ran it used enough force to bring down both ends of the clotheslines and they were cemented in metal poles and both were brought down enough and then the ropes somehow came off and there i was...

i didn't even see it or hear the horse or the ropes coming. all i can say now in thinking of it was that i was lucky the ropes were down lower instead of higher because having them come and wrap around my neck might have done me in. it wasn't just one rope, it was two or three.

 

[digitS']

 

[heirloomgal]

If there's one thing I have learned through getting Nancy, not all dogs that bark are meaninh to be threatening, like your mother, it's fear.

I would say dogs that bark are afraid, and so bark to be threatening to encourage the scary thing to go away. In the big picture - barking, unpleasant as it can be, is a good thing. It means the dog really doesn't want to have to do anything serious to remove you, he'd rather threaten you & bluff you out than use his teeth. A bark or even growl is a way to avoid conflict, a 'don't make me do it'.

Dogs that don't bark and don't want you around - these tend to be the serious situations that result in injuries because the dog doesn't want to give you a chance to leave his space through intimidation & warning. They have no fear, and no bark. I have been ambushed twice in the last couple years by totally silent dogs, one a Rottie the other a wolf hybrid (naturally confident dogs). My dog was nearly killed by an Irish Wolfhound who quietly walked toward us on a sidewalk, with no sound. A dog trying to threaten other dogs or people with barking is actually safer than the dog who isn't barking. This is why there are certain breeds I'm not a fan of, they'd rather move in on a threat directly than use intimidation to get rid of it.

 

[ducks4you]

Our horse was not always interested in being ridden and would play his little game of running towards then past us when we showed up in the field and walked toward him. He would do this 2 or 3 times then tire of the game and we could walk up to him. Really, he could probably be led by holding his mane. He didn't appreciate a bit and we usually rode him with just his halter.

Willie would become beyond docile when children were set on his back.

That doesn't mean he wouldn't make mistakes. A couple times, I recall, it was like, "oh, am I standing on your foot?" He actually seemed surprise that I was becoming very stressed!

Steve ouch!

...um...Steve, when they stand on your foot they are disrespecting you...
Still, sounds like a sweetheart!

 

[ducks4you]

A well trained animal. Baby hardly learning to walk herself leads a horse by herself.

My Horses, My Teachers

This classic memoir by the former director of the renow…

www.goodreads.com

There is a story of a gifted but vicious mare that was out in a field and small child wandered out to her. The adults were holding their breath bc they expected her to hurt the child. Instead, she was careful but just kept grazing.
Still, it takes training for a horse to behave as in your video.

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Ducks… great story most horses are superior to people. They don’t have to be trained to adore children.

 

[Marie2020]

 

[Marie2020]

Tiny horses visiting care homes and hospitals