Ebbey Blog

Despite the fog, I spotted one of those black birdies in the tree.

Photographing a number of ravens for the film Search Dog’s Raven, Ebbey has developed a love hate relationship for the large black birds. Mostly because they get to eat food, she is not allowed to eat because of her allergies. They are also more cunning than a dog or wolf and Ebbey seems to know it. So when a black garbage bag was wrapped tightly around an overhead branch, it was tough convincing her that it wasn’t a raven.

Other dogs are always warning me of danger, though I rarely see what it is.

Ebbey is an eternal optimist. Whenever a medium to small dog barks, she is certain it is trying to warn her of some impending danger. She looks around, but rarely sees what they are barking at. Of course the dog is barking at her. Whenever a large dog barks, Ebbey becomes nervous. She appears worried that the big dog is after her. It’s not so bad now that she walks with the rottweiler. But she still keeps her eyes open.

My first dog was a shepherd cross, which is why it saddens me that Ebbey is scared of shepherds. One attacked her when I first got her, and she has been wary of them ever since. She got along well with a shepherd who is the film Search Dog’s Raven, but becomes very anxious when we meet most shepherds.

Ebbey was playing with a border collie poodle cross, when a large black shepherd stormed towards the two dogs. Both dogs reacted submissively and the shepherd seemed focussed on dominating or biting the poodle cross. Ebbey ran after them to help her playmate, though not actively starting anything. Luckily the shepherd finally returned to it’s owner before any damage was done. Once he was on a leash, and realizing he couldn’t get her, Ebbey went into a stalking position. With her Rhodesian ridgeback heritage, it was as if he was a dangerous lion and she was about to do him in. However, she never did follow through.

My mistress often says the word mousy, which means there is one on the deck just outside the glass patio doors. But this time I couldn’t find him.

How do you point out a screen climbing mouse, when your dog automatically looks to the ground. With several bird feeders, we also support a number of mice in the backyard. One in particular shows no sign of fear when Ebbey glares at him through the glass. He has even been trying to get into the warm house, by squeezing through the patio doors and climbing up the screen. This time he climbed up the entire screen door and just perched there.

With my rottweiler friend, we could have captured the deer. But mistress stopped us.

We spooked a large buck, with massive antlers, who then stormed across our path. When I first got Ebbey, she and two other canine playmates chased a couple deer through a large park and across several roads. Ebbey was shriek barking, she was so excited. Minutes after the other two dogs returned, I thought I’d lost her for good or she had been badly kicked or run over by a car. Luckily about five minutes later, Ebbey returned in good health.

Despite my mistress yelling, my friend Grizzly and I went to investigate the prickly creature as it rested on the hill.

In the dark, the young porcupine looked like a large discarded bag. Grizzly’s owner and I were discussing recent porcupine sightings and within seconds both dogs were circling the young porcupine. Her quills were already erect and the dogs were circling closer and closer. I immediately ran up near the tail and started yelling at the dogs. Luckily, Ebbey came back submissively after the third yell. I put her back on leash and held her between me and the porcupine’s tail. She wears a harness, which gives me a fair amount of control. Grizzly, on the other hand, was not responding. His owner remained at a safer distance screaming for the dog to return. As I kept warning Grizzly not to approach, I tried to block his approaches to the porcupine. Finally, he went back to his owner. I was very pleased that Ebbey minded me. It’s quite a contrast to what was she was like when first adopted.

The big night bird was back. She perched in a tree and her hoots could be heard for over half a mile (1.5km).

Both the dogs and I stopped in our tracks to located where the great horned owl was perched. But we never did locate the tree.

This time, the prickly creature was following us. We tried to catch it, but mistress stopped us.

Trying to avoid capture, a younger porcupine panicked and headed up a gully. We tried to avoid him, but he ended up crossing directly in front of us and both dogs went insane. Luckily I held them back. I never knew a porcupine could move that fast.

A very large bird was hooting, then swooped down past us into the grass.

I’m always amazed to see wild animals in and around urban areas. Over the last week or two, we’ve heard a weird hooting sound. I thought it was just kids pretending to be an owl. However, the same sound was followed by a great horned owl swooping after a mouse we had disturbed. Guess urban buildings were distorting the sound.