Wednesday, January 21, 2015

A geriatric duck, pretty ponies, and a slow cat

Lenny, the blind 27-year-old (!) farm Mallard we adopted through the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry OSPCA is doing great!

As you can see, he had already quacked his way into Gordon's heart...




I wasn't sure how Lenny would fit in here, whether he'd be picked on (and have to be segregated), whether he'd find his way around, or what. But as you can see, he's doing great:


It was warm on Sunday (i.e. close to the freezing mark) so I put Lenny outside for a few hours and he seemed quite content. The other birds leave him pretty much alone, apart from a couple of girl ducks that occasionally nuzzle him. 

Well, that said, Lenny WAS the victim of an attempted sexual assault by a rooster the other day! But neither party seemed too upset by the incident.


He looks good for an old fart, doesn't he? We have a routine now. We lock him in a wire cage within the duck coop at night, so that he can sleep undisturbed. He also gets breakfast and dinner (and his daily banana!) in there, to make sure he's getting enough food and water, although he has found the other duck feeders and doesn't seem to have any issues. Still,  I don't want the others stealing food out from under him. Then during the day,  I let him loose although he mainly stays in the duck coop. He does seem to be learning how to get around, though. He ventured out of the coop into the barn the other day, then found his way back in again.

Meanwhile, I have been working with the ponies. Finney is getting much better on the lunge line. If you don't know what this means, watch this video. Finney is NOT as good at it as the horse in this video!


On Sunday, he stopped midway and threw himself down in the snow for a good roll! I just missed getting a photo of that. Dork!


Afterwards, he and Esme spent a little time in the bigger pasture.

Emerson thought it would be fun to join us all there, until Finney decided to chase him. Finney is not a fan of cats!

Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but Emerson was having trouble out-running Finney in the snow. So he climbed up on me to escape the pony!


He was quite happy to hang out there for awhile.

Esme doesn't mind the cats at all. I think Finney just wants to show them he's boss!

Hope you're all having a good week.

39 comments:

  1. Lovely photos ! Good to hear and see all the animals are doing well and getting along for the most part ! I had my horse drop and roll whilst I was riding him when I was on our farm , saddle and all , he had an itch under the saddle caught me by surprise I tell ya and caught my leg under him to but I made it out ok no broken bones lol just my pride was squashed lol ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good week !

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    1. Oh my, I'm glad you were okay!!! I hope my horse never does that in my riding lessons, but if he does, I hope I'm as speedy to react as you!

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  2. aww.. so nice to see Lenny landed safely in his golden years and you are caring so well for him.

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  3. Love the photo of Gordon and all his feathered friends. I think Emerson thinks of you as his mama. A soft place to land. :)

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    1. Awww, you may be right, given how many times a day he suckles on my finger, a habit I thought he would have given up by now!

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  4. So sweet to see Lenny fitting in (with a bit of help from you and Gordon, of course)! He is one lucky duck. Nice selfie with Emerson!

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    1. Lenny is an excellent addition to our zoo! And EMerson is quite the model. :)

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  5. It's good to see Lenny settling in. I'm glad the others are leaving him alone so far, long may it continue.

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    1. So far, so good! THey don't seem to know what to make of him.

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  6. So happy to see Lenny settling in so well. A wonderful home to live out his golden years.

    I'm surprised Finney was chasing Emerson. I always thought cats and horses were good buds.

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    1. Esme's fine with the cats. I think it might be a bit of a game for Finney! He's not being nasty but he seems to enjoy the chase!

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  7. Mr. Emerson is soooooooo handsome!

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    1. He would like to thank you for your compliment!

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  8. it is amazing how resilient animals are and how they adjust. If only people could be so forgiving and flexible! Emerson is one of the most handsome mancats I have had the pleasure of seeing! Sooo handsome!

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    1. He's quite the looker. The ladies loooove him. :)

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  9. This is quite the complicated society you have. But just like humans, there are some who can't get along.

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    1. So true!! But as long as no blood is being shed, I'm happy. :)

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  10. Love that picture of Gordon with all those birds.

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  11. I see you are all happy and by the way, how are the piggies?

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    1. They are sleeping the winter away, but I think it's about time I put them on the blog again!

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  12. One day you are going to have to do us a list of all your animals and their names. I'm fascinated.. Have a great day..

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    1. Lesley Ann, check out the "Cast of Characters" tab under my blog header! (Although not every bird is in there! :) )

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  13. So you got a pony for Christmas:-D What a menagerie you have going there and I'd like a list of all of them too! XOXO

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    1. See my reply to Lesley, above! :)

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  14. My old cat Kobi loved to climb up on my shoulder and ride around. And he'd just scale you like you were a tree - no thought given to sharp claws in sensitive skin

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  15. I'm surprised to see your tom turkey displaying outside in the snow. The two turkey brothers I've been feeding this winter keep their feathers closely clamped around them to preserve heat!

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    1. THey don't go out on the brutally cold days, but if it's above about -10C, the birds want to get out there (but they always have access to their warm coops!!!) The wild turkeys around here are so intrepid. You see them out on the coldest days!

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  16. I'm curious how you know how old Lenny is...was he rescued as a young duckling? It is amazing he does so well being blind!

    Love the photo of Emerson on your shoulder. Smart cat, he knew where he'd be safe.

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    1. The farmer who had him told the shelter his age, and I gathered that they had him from his duckling-hood! I was very dubious at first but he's definitely a very old duck. And Mallards in the wild can apparently make it to 20 if they're lucky! His blindness doesn't seem to bother him one bit. Incredible little guy!

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  17. We love the wonderful look on your husband's face as he cuddles Lenny. They've really bonded.
    Looks like a happy ending.

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    1. Gordon's just crazy about the duck! :)

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  18. After a visit to your blog, my week is greatly improved.

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    1. Mitchell, that's so nice! I love your blog too!

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  19. What a farm you two have. All those lucky animals. Emerson is a beautiful cat. I love his color and his eyes are beautiful, like yours.

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    1. He just showed up here last May, no doubt dumped. He's a real character.

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  20. Lenny is such a cutie :-)

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!