ANIMALS WE HAVE KNOWN 

We have had several ‘life-changing’ experiences with animals that have shared their lives and space with us. There is no way to evaluate these experiences except to label them “priceless”.

The following stories are just a few that have stood out over the years. ‘                                         

FREDDIE THE FOX

I can’t remember when or even how we became acquainted with Freddie. I first encountered him at 5 am when our golden retriever mix yipped me awake, a pattern he’d established over the course of a couple of weeks. There was Freddie waiting for our Teddie (honest). Teddie, a recreational barker, was old and quite blind. He exercised this talent consistently whenever outdoors. Still in possession of an exceptional olfactory system, he moved like an anteater, sniffing the ground, tail wagging in pure joy and barking out his early matins. Fortunately, there are no neighbours to object to this canine cacophony.

We became aware that a routine had been established with these two pals. Freddie arrived, Teddie, alerted by the change in air quality, would announce his need to be outdoors. Once he emerged, Freddie would stand on alert and wait for Teddie to sniff his way over to him. When Teddie was 3 feet from him  , Freddie would jump up , make a couple of circles and move to another location, not too far away, but enough to keep Teddie busy for awhile. Eventually Teddie would tire and flop down in the grass to recuperate. Freddie usually moved off to another project.

Once I watched as Teddie eventually found the Fox trail from the driveway and followed it back and down. Disgusted, Freddie followed him, nose to tail all the way down the driveway. Teddie appeared to be completely oblivious to this fact and returned alone sometime later.

Freddie adopted us. He would poke his nose under the car or tractor where Ron was working and stretch out to observe the whole procedure. Or he would curl up close to Ron during his frequent visits, just enjoying the camaraderie. He seemed to love being near us and even jumped up, placing his tiny paws on my hip as I dead-headed petunias. He would stretch out beside the lounger as long as someone was in it.  We never made an attempt to touch him, although the urge was strong.

During the brief time that we tried our hand at running a business, TAIGA VENTURES, we hosted an Easter morning brunch. The tables were all lined up along the floor to ceiling windows so that everyone had the opportunity to enjoy the glorious view. Shortly after everyone was seated, Freddie strolled across the deck in front of the windows, stopping at each table, smiling (honest) and posing for pictures. The customers were delighted. About twenty minutes later he returned bearing a squirrel in his mouth. He repeated his strolling and posing but shook the squirrel vigorously at each group letting us all know that he had his brunch, too.

The highlight of this relationship was close to the last time we saw Freddie. We were both startled by a strange, horrific animal scream from the forest near the house. Believing some creature to be in dreadful pain, we set out at once to discover who was in trouble. As we neared the edge of the forest, Freddie emerged, healthy and intact. That was a relief, but who did he injure? We were asking him that question when he sat between us and entertained us with another vocal display. Our fox was announcing to the world that we were his people and he would not tolerate any nastiness directed towards us. Teddie’s bark was not nearly as chilling as Freddie’s.                                                              Priceless!!

To view this Wilderness, phone Evelyne or Ron, and visit http://www.thunderbayhouses.com/houses/1150highway590/index.asp