The ongoing love/hate saga of Sgt. Major and the Ducks

O.k. So I know that I have a lot of catching up to do blogging-wise and I still haven't gotten around to photographing the house and stuff, but I just HAD to share these pictures of Sgt. Major and the ducks who reside in the pond that is behind our backyard.

From the start I didn't like them for the simple fact that despite housing rules, neighbors on either side of us feed them, so as soon as they see you they head right fo you and fears be damned, they flock you. I hate cleaning the duck poop off the porch, I'm sure it can't be good for Sgt. Major or in the future the baby to be walking around in it, and they tend to stop traffic because they wander about the neighborhood looking for food and pestering everyone. I'm sure it can't be healthy for me to be breathing their scattered feces right now either.

Well in the beginning Sgt. Major just watched them from one of our two french doors as they wander about tearing up the yard looking for worms or who knows what. For all I know the previous tenants fed them too. Well, one day he watched as his new BFF, a female bulldog a month younger than him who lives next door chased them into the pond She followed them into the pond, something she likes to do often. Well he thought it was fun until he saw her go into the water, and then he loooked at us like, "That girl is C-R-A-Z-Y!!!"

Well a few days later I'd let him out in the front to do his business and he was on the right side of the house, when the ducks came up on the otherside. Since I was facing his direction I didn't see them until they we a foot or so behind me and I heard a rustling. I turned and yelped, because they startled me. Well, he came tearing from around the house, caught sight of the ducks and went sailing past me. About the time he got to where I was the ducks noticed him and took off in low flight, back around the left side of the house towards the pond. He chased them all the way back and stopped at the edge of the pond, daring them to get out. The ducks settled down and the face-off began. It was about 20 minutes before I could get him to leave the edge of the pond where he was watching every move the ducks made. After that it was on.

Now he sits by the french doors in the breakfast room while I sew or stitch and growls at the ducks. When I let him out he tears after them to either the edge of the back yard (where the slight slope to the pond starts)or if I go out with him, to the edge of the pond. Sometimes he and George chase them together. Whoever said the best things in life are free, must've been watching these two one day!

So here he is, co-existing with the ducks ...







The funny part is that he doesn't know what to do once he gets cose to them, so he just stops and lets them run further ahead, then goes after them again. He doesn't want to catch them, its just the thrill of the chase I guess!

Until our next cup of tea ...