Glen Hill Farm: Oh Cooper (1)

Oh Cooper (1)

I had to title this Oh Cooper (1) because I already know that there will be an Oh Cooper (2) and (3), etc., in the future. Cooper keeps things interesting, that's for sure. The other night, we sent the dogs out for their one last outing before bed. (We are lucky enough to have an electric fence around our whole property, so we send them out on their own.) Jessie went out, and two minutes later came back in. Good girl, Jessie. Cooper? Cooper went out. And stayed out. Not too unusual for one of them to romp around for say 20 minutes, or so, but as the time kept ticking and there was no sign of Cooper, we realized that something may be wrong. So we start calling for him. No response. We rattle the treat jar. (This usually works for Cooper, that dog loves his food.) But, not this time. So, Jonathan decides that he is going to drive around the neighborhood to make sure he didn't run through his electric fence. (This is pretty rare, but he did run through it this past summer when some nearby fireworks scared him.) Again, no sign of Cooper. But as Jonathan pulled back down our driveway, he decided to drive around our property, too. It's pitch black back there so we can't see much past the barn.

Good decision by Jonathan. What does he find with his headlights? There's Cooper in the back part of our farm. With a rabbit. A very dead rabbit. Eating a very dead rabbit. Cooper has proved himself to be quite the hunter, over and over again. I guess that's how he survived those weeks on the run when he was a stray. At least when he kills snakes or raccoons, I can rationalize that he's making our farm safer for the chickens. But when it's a bunny or a groundhog, it makes me sad. Wish he would just chase these animals off our property. Let them go without any bloodshed. I have a full bowl of dog food waiting for you inside, buddy. I promise you'll never go hungry again. Chase, not hunt. Deal?

Cooper with his latest catch

poor bunny lost his head

So knowing how good of a hunter Cooper is, you can imagine how cautious I am about letting the chickens free range with the dogs around. Cooper may be the hunter, but Jessie is obsessed with the chickens, not necessarily in a good way.

See video here of how Jessie enjoys tormenting our chickens: Jessie Tormenting Chickens

So, this morning, I was outside with the dogs getting my morning chicken chores done. I opened the chicken run door with my hands full and didn't close the door quick enough and Daffodil ran out into the yard before I could shut the door behind me. Both dogs were right there. I yelled the strongest "Leave it" command from the core of my being. Both dogs listened. Thank God. Jessie has been through lots of training with me. Cooper, not so much. (It's on the to-do list.) But we've all bonded pretty tightly at this point and he wants to please. Now that the dogs passed the very big test of not immediately pouncing on the the chicken, I still had the challenge of singlehandedly getting Daffodil back into the run surrounded by these two dogs. I opened the door of the run, thinking that Daffodil was sensing her imminent danger and would run back in. I was wrong. She wasn't interested in leaving the yummy green grass. In fact the other chickens were trying to get out the door to join her. Nope. Okay, I tried herding her back towards the run. Nope again. Alright, I'm going to have to pick her up. That is not always an easy task to do. If a chicken doesn't want to get picked up, they are very good at making that NOT happen. And as the catcher, it is a delicate balance of trying to grab the chicken quick enough and strong enough without actually hurting the poor bird. This also includes a lot of squawking noises from the chicken (okay maybe from me, too) as I dive down for her. And remember the dogs are right there. Following Daffodil's every move and sound, while I continue to give the "Leave it" command and following it with "Good dogs". They are being really good considering the huge temptation right in front of them. Staying behind me for the most part. In my mind, I'm already trying to think about what I should do if one of the dogs actually catches the chicken before I do. And how I'm going to break the news to my kids when they come home from school. And as I'm thinking this, Daffodil makes a run for it towards our giant pine tree. Simultaneously, Cooper runs straight for what I think is the hen. Oh my God, please, no! "Cooper, leave it!" And then I realize, Cooper isn't running at Daffodil, he's running behind the pine tree TO HELP ME. He's cutting Daffodil off so she can't run any further. He's trying to herd her towards me. And it works. I am able to grab Daffodil. Cooper runs off, his job here is done. "Good boy, Cooper!" And Daffodil almost seems relieved to be in my arms at this point. LOL. On my way back to the run door, I stop by Jessie who is still totally focused on Daffodil. I let her smell Daffodil. She does so gently and carefully. She still has a crazy fixated energy happening, but she is being respectful of the hen, so that is worth praising. With Daffodil safely back in her run, I give my dogs lots of love and praise for their good listening when it really counted.