swan: May 2009 Archives
I was walking Cowboy and Tess through our neighborhood park this morning when we were spat at by a swan? A goose? Or something. I'm not entirely sure what she was, but she had a very long neck and she was clearly irritated by our attempts to pass through her territory, disturbing her morning snooze. My colleague Sandy Mazza, who says she was once almost attacked by a swan, says it's a swan. So there you go.
But whatever she was, there she sat, right in the middle of the walkway. We waited. I tried talking to her. She wasn't much interested. I wondered if we should just turn back, it was one of these creatures, after all, that came stalking right toward us last time we tried this maneuver. (We turned tail pretty quick that time.)
Eventually, she spit at us some more and then honked as she reluctantly rose from her spot and moved (sort of) off to the side, allowing us to walk by. Talk about being in a foul mood.
Cowboy and Tess were much more interested in the squirrels, of course. But I had the sense we ruined the feathered Missy's day.
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.