Getting Goosed!

Hi Everyone,
Well, as you know, I've been gone on a mini writing retreat to Palm Springs where I pounded out some of the plot details for my new book, The Last Conquistador. I was having a few problems deciding on where to focus the storyline, as I had many ideas. Fortunately, I am happy to say, that I had a few surprises--some would call them "Ah-Ha!" moments. I learned a lot about my characters, their motivations, their desires, their psychological needs, etc. Now I am happy to report that I can move on and get the darn thing written. Don't look for it before next year, however.

On August 2, my friend Jan and I were walking our horses, Beauty and Sunshine (see my last post) off the property to better acquaint Beauty with the sites and sounds previously unfamiliar to her. This was to acclimate her to the area where I would later drive her. Unfortunately, the fields had recently been irrigated and it was muddy as all get out.

We had proceeded down the fenced-in 'lane' (a space between pastures that is about 12 feet wide) and ran into a muddy spot. We were being escorted all the way by four friendly family ranch dogs (Tiki the Boston or French Terrier, Sam the German Shepherd, Meggy the Golden Retriever, and Babe the Rottweiler. It was pandemonium, to say the least. (Think: Second Hand Lions minus the pig).

Well, all of a sudden, while Jan, I, and the horses were mired in the mud and contemplating a hasty retreat, a Canada goose came running from out of nowhere. Sam and Meggy were chasing it in our direction, straight into the mud. It was honking and flapping its large wings. And it was headed straight for Beauty.

Uh-oh! Beauty had never seen the likes of a large, frightened bird, wings outstretched and flapping wildly. I figured she would freak out as the bird dodged between her legs and under her belly with the dogs close behind. I just knew that goose was 'cooked.'

Fortunately, Beauty stood stock still, but you could see the puzzlement in her eyes. Such a good horse!

I yelled "No!" at the dogs several times as they chased the goose up the lane toward the barn. They stopped, turned around, and looked at me with their tongues out, panting, their eyes pleading as if to say, "Aw c'mon! We're just having a little fun!"

At that point, the goose was waddling along the fence line, making its way slowly toward the gate at the end of the lane. The dogs lost interest (thank Goodness!) and Jan and I decided it was time to turn around. We were all splattered and caked with mud and it suddenly seemed less important, this site-and-sound-familiarization mission on Beauty's behalf. So we slogged through the mud behind the goose who was still waddling petulantly, cautiously up the lane. It finally ducked under the fence and into the pasture.

When Jan and I reached the end of the lane, I put Beauty in an empty stall and hurried back out to the pasture. The goose was certainly exhausted. And it looked like it may have been injured. It should have flown away from the dogs, but it hadn't. There was something wrong and I just had to help it.

I followed it across the pasture while shooing the horses away from it. Horses love playthings, especially if they are small and move a lot. But running was the last thing I wanted it to do. Trying not to excite it, I continued to follow the goose, spreading my arms out and coaxing it where the fences meet in the corner of the pasture. Its movements became slower and slower. Honks came out as rasps. Finally, I grabbed it as quickly as I could, gathering the wings together so I wouldn't injure them any more than (I thought) they already were.

It had a somewhat pin-tail (pointy at the end) signifying a female. Males have rounded tails. I figured she was a young juvenile abandoned by her creche (flock), probably because she was injured. She looked smaller than other geese I've known, and she wasn't very heavy. Although I couldn't see any injuries, she couldn't fly, and I was determined to get some help for her.

I held her snugly in my arms and walked across the pasture, through the gate, and into the barn. She hissed at me several times, biting my exposed left arm. It smarted, but didn't hurt at the time. The next day, I had 4 big bruises on my forearm where she'd bit me!

Brenda, the barn manager, rounded up a large dog crate and we put her in it. We gave her water and grain, but I don't think she drank or ate any of it. We sequestered her in the tack room away from the boarders and the dogs. We covered the crate to make it dark and to calm her (the standard way to care for an injured bird). The next morning, I took her to the International Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Fairfield.

A few days later, the IBRRC called to let me know that the goose was fine, but they had tested her blood and found her to be anemic. She probably hadn't eaten for several days as she was also underweight. They couldn't find anything wrong with her wings, but she had a small hole in her chest, which they treated. They confirmed that she was indeed a young female.

Geese are highly social birds. They flock in creches--like dolphin's in pods--with their families. I understand that they recognize their own family even after several years absence. This posed a problem as I had no idea where her creche had gone. She was alone. This was a serious obstacle to her future release. Other creches do not accept 'outsiders' and usually drive them away. Not good.

Two weeks passed. The bright blue bruises on my arm, evidence of her frantic bites, had almost gone away. While at my Palm Springs retreat, the IBRRC called to tell me that she had made a full recovery and had even made a buddy with another Canada goose at the center. They asked if I wanted to release them both back into the wild and, unfortunately, I could not, since I wasn't due back home until the 21st. I left it up to them. When I finally returned home, I called to find out where they released her and her friend. So far they have not returned my call. I intend to find out, however, and will report in a later post.

The Canada goose is a magnificent bird. I was awed by her beauty, although not her grace. Like the big 747 airplanes, they are clumsy and lumbering on the ground but graceful in the air. That's because they are made for flight, not for walking or driving.

They are poisoning the Canada geese in parts of New York and other states. Shame. People don't like stepping in their scat, which I understand. But the scat is only digested grass and doesn't really have a smell--it's not harmful to the environment or to people. It carries no diseases. There are other ways to control wildlife. Poisoning is a horrible way to die.

Next time you see a flock of geese overhead, stop for a minute. Listen to their honks and watch their formation. Elegant and efficient, these birds are, in my opinion, one of the world's most beautiful.

I have taken at least 20-25 birds to the IBRRC over the years. Most have been injured in some way or another. Before the goose incident, I had taken in a blue jay fledgling that had been mauled by a cat. They immediately euthanized it as there was no way they could fix his injured wing.

I was sorry they couldn't help the baby, but I was glad to have known about this place, to be able to bring him in. They couldn't 'fix' him, but they released him from his misery.

Every time an animal dies, it seems a little piece of me dies too. I can't help it, but I think I like animals more than people. I don't feel much when I see or read about the plights of people. Why? Because people generally make their own beds, their own grief. But animals? I'm a sucker I guess, but I have my reasons. Animals are almost always the innocent victims. They are used, abused, and killed. Though we are to have 'dominance' over the animals (per the Bible), they are still living things that experience real emotions as well as form real relationships. Did you know that geese can differentiate faces--not only our human faces but those of their families? When in captivity, they not only recognize their owners, they bond with them.

Killing animals humanely is one thing, making them suffer is another. Animals are innocent. It is people that are--more often than you'd think--inhuman.

More next week on the outcome of the goose!