My neighbors enjoy the fact that Cooper hawks nest in their back yard, which edges on the steep canyon that houses tall Ponderosa pines and a pleasant drainage stream up Walnut Canyon. Trouble is, there is no way that our dogs can protect a lone chicken from a hungry chicken hawk. Read More
Forty Years with Birds and Dogs
Bobbi The Baby Goose and Hawks
Two years ago, Lucy the goose decided to sit, again. In the wrong place--the Khaki Campbells' nest box. I hated to move them. They were new to the Hen House, and Ms Khaki was laying gorgeous green eggs for the allergic kid down the block. Read More
Lucy Goose
We inherited Lucy the goose in 2002, when my vet, who lives next door, said she would have to put an ad in the paper. She couldn’t keep a goose in the house. Read More
Animal Care—Geese
It’s not easy to find animal care for two dogs, one turkey, two geese, three chickens, four ducks, multiplying swordtails, and a neighboring peacock who comes and goes—but we lucked out. My vet lives next door, and her son loves both the animals and the money I pay for their care while we’re away. Read More
Six Weeks on Dog Trails
This is the story of DeeDee (See blog of October 13.), the dog spayed at three months before her bones capped off. I wonder how many dogs will have to suffer bone problems until spaying is postponed to after the first heat. Read More
DeeDee and Scooter--Part II

This picture tells it all--almost. Guess which one is the alpha dog, which the beta? In late 2000, it all came to a head when I bought DeeDee and Scooter a dog food container with two bowls on top, one serving as the lid to the storage chamber. Read More
How The Hen House Turns 8. DeeDee and Scooter--Part I

It's time to talk about DeeDee and Scooter, how they joined the family after the fire in the spring of 2000--the first fire in Los Alamos, Read More
How the Hen House Turns 7. Strolling Coyote, Poncho and Raccoons

One day Strolling Coyote came by--the one who made a habit of moving along the back fence, setting off all the dogs, barking their heads off. Poncho, our young "Santa Fe shepherd," wasn't old enough to know better, Read More
Turkeys Get It
I've decided turkeys are not really dumb. They've had a bad rap because they're not like chickens. Read More