Subtle Warfare

Theo knows that it is against the rules to bite or lunge at the bird, but that does not mean he isn't allowed to try to annoy her as much as she annoys him or try to kill her in other, subtler ways.
Neither way works for him him since Tinker unfortunately isn't smart enough to be annoyed and we step in to prevent her death. He also has learned how to use Tinker to get treats and praise which we gladly give for not eating her when he had the chance.

Often when we come in the house Theo will stop at the bird bath which is closer than his water bowl and drink. This is his form of annoying the bird but we can see that it has not yet gotten even a glance from her. Without saying anymore it looks very much like anthropomorphism, but Theo will also go from eating his food in one room then walk over to the bird bath, stare at Tinker for a second or two then deliberately lower his head and drink as much as he can before walking away, however dirty the water is in comparison to his own water.

Now he may not actually be trying to spite her but to us, who have been watching this behavior for months and have raised Theo since puppyhood this theory doesn't seem farfetched.

Now click this link. If Theo saw this he would be so mad!

This I know is not a deliberate act, only a dove finding a fresh source of water and seeing it as a better place to bathe then her own, it is kind of amusing though, isn't it? Theo drinks more often then not out of her bowl and Tinker has twice gone out of her way to bathe in his!

Now for Theo's way of getting easy treats. Tinker, as always, is nesting, but she unlike Gypsy she comes off of her nest to eat and relieve herself of "remarkably huge egg-sized broody-poops" (as I call them). When leaving her silk scarf nest she walks to the end of her nesting tunnel. By the time she gets to the end Theo has almost always has noticed. We also usually notice when we do we give her a lift to her food. If, however, she isn't given any help she will fly out of her tube and tends to land directly at Theo's feet! He will stand there wagging his tail in the same way that he does as he sticks his nose down a rabbit hole. He is wanting to eat her but restraining himself for our sakes. After we encourage her into the cage by guiding her with our feet Theo gets a treat for good non-violent behavior. Theo and I will then wait outside of her cage (him watching her and me reading) until she is done eating. If I don't see that she has finished she will fly back to the floor, again within Theo's killing range, and I will then pick her up and give Theo another treat.

I hold her up to the entrance of her nest hoping that she goes in, she usually does, tucking her eggs under her and remaining there for maybe the rest of the day. But if she doesn't then our lives become a lot harder with a dove with uncontrollable flying skills shattering glass ware and ceramics in the kitchen or pecking at the floor under foot. Then a lot more treats given to Theo! If this goes on for too long without her settling down on some perch I put her up in Anna and my room.

I think the only thing Theo likes about the bird are her eggs. We cover then in peanut butter and give then to him. He LOVES them! He knows what they look like, so all we have to do is hold it up and he will come over.

This is a video of Theo following me around because of the dove on my shoulder. Taken right before this post was started.

Tinker taking a bath before she found Theo's water bowl.

Anna trying to make dinner. She did it in the end after I took the dove off.

And a video of Tinker slow-motion shaking after a dog bowl bath.

I don't think anyone realizes how much waiting I have to do to get videos on here! First I have to plug my iPad or camera into the computer, next step is to wait while they load onto Photos, next step is to try and put them on the desktop, wait while that works, upload onto Youtube. I have one video that has been saying 20 seconds left for at least five minutes, last and least I then have to make links on the blog but that last step is very quick and easy. I think the only thing keeping me passive during this spinning icon torture is the music I am listening too (The Very Best of Cat Stevens).

So while I wait I will write about recent happenings, other than crazy doves and Theo not eating them of course.

So first I have on every morning (other then weekends) gotten up at 9:00! Amazing isn't it? I do that because we have for many months now volunteered at the RISPCA (Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). We walk the dogs and like getting there just after opening (10:00 or 10:30 am) to take them out. I love the dogs there and really enjoy walking them! Today we walked three. And then took Theo for an off-leash beach walk. We don't usually do so many but there were less people available to take them out today I guess, so we took out one more than most days. The last walk was really short anyway because Grizzly remembered that we were passing the place a terrifying beeping and banging garbage truck had been yesterday and he freaked out all over again, pulling to go back to hide in his kennel.

One more thing to say is that now my brothers and I are vegan! Oh, this is the life of moral high ground!

I will stop now since I am no longer needed to keep close track of where each video is. I can eat dinner and this can load on without me!

Goodbye from Claire Catherine Goodchild Shamgochian.