Animal capers
We sure do love our animals. They become members of our family, especially if they are indoor pets that are used to getting a lot of attention. At least that’s how Charley has us trained. She’s been on a kick lately that she wants to play fetch with her spikey ball everytime one of us is around. But for her, part of the fun is not wanting to give the ball back. I will tell her that we can’t play if she doesn’t drop the ball, and then finally she drops it, but likes to grab it right back before I can get it. Her latest thing is to use her nose or her tongue to roll spikey ball towards me. She will do anything to get attention. I love this little mini-lab, even though she has made me “cat-less” for the first time in my life, as we have decided to be a one-pet family. For now.
Recently the show “Inside Edition” shared the story of a pretty smart dog that went to great lengths to get the attention of his humans. The story said the family was from Kansas but didn’t give the location. Jeremy and Sarah Henson were a thousand miles away from home, spending a week-long vacation in Las Vegas, when their security camera/doorbell alerted them that someone was at their front door. They were shocked when they saw that the “someone” was their dog, Dexter, who was supposed to be at a doggie daycare facility for five days. But by the third day, he was so homesick that he escaped, somehow clearing a 6-foot fence to get away.
After running the two miles to his home, Dexter pushed the button on the doorbell, alerting his humans that he was home and wanting them to let him inside. Obviously shocked to see Dexter there, and realizing what he had done to get their attention, the couple talked through the speaker to try to calm him down while they called the doggie daycare center. People from the doggie daycare went to the home to retrieve Dexter and return him to their kennel.
Dexter’s parents know that he is very smart, and that his intelligence can get him into trouble sometimes. And obviously the doggie daycare people need to keep a closer eye on Dexter if he ever stays there again! Gotta love a dog that knows to press the doorbell to get her humans’ attention!
Also in March, there was a story in the news of another escaped animal, only this one was a flamingo. The beautiful flamingos, known for their distinctive pink feathers and long legs and necks, were born in Africa. About 40 flamingos were shipped to the Sedgwick County Zoo (SCZ) in 2004.
Two of the flamingos, which had not yet had their wings clipped to prevent them from flying, escaped from the SCZ during a stormy night 17 years ago. One of the two escapees has never been seen again. However, flamingo “No. 492” — according to the number on its leg band — has been spotted several times in Wisconsin, Louisiana and Texas, sometimes with other wild flamingos. But it had been years since its last reported sighting, until just last month.
On March 10, the number “492” was seen on the leg band of an African flamingo on the coast of Texas and confirmed by the Coastal Fisheries division of Texas Parks and Wildlife. It was last seen enjoying a fantastic spring break somewhere on a beach near Port Lavaca, Texas, at Rhodes Point in Cox Bay.
SCZ officials have never made plans to recapture No. 492, even though they now know where it is. Officials say there is just no easy way to do so without disturbing other wildlife.
Personally, I’m cheering for No. 492, the beautiful flamingo that just didn’t want to live a life of captivity. Enjoy your life, No. 492! Stay wild, stay free!
