I was outside - my usual thing on weekends for sure - on the east side of the house. The east side of the house is my primary focus for landscaping, ponds, beautification.
Coco - my Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog mixed with Great Dane (though mostly Leopard Dog) is ALWAYS out there with me. I don't ask her to come out there, she follows me like a magnet on steel. I could say the more appropriate axiom, but I don't want to digress.
I was laying out the 1/2 inch tubing, paying no attention to her whatsoever. I don't normally do that anyway, pay attention to dogs while I am working that is.
I look up, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. She was on TOP of a cat that had come into our backyard and was inflicting bite wounds into it. I absolutely HATE cats, with a passion. They come over here and crap.
I was shocked. How did all of this happen without any sound? Coco is not afraid of cats. I know, people always think a cat will win against a dog - not ALL dogs, thank you very much. She - Coco - doesn't CARE if that cat bites or scratches her, but more to the point, she is MUCH faster than a cat, her reflexes are very sharp and I can't find a single scratch or bite mark on here anywhere. She had that cat upside down, her mouth over it's sides, the cat wasn't able to do anything, she had it pinned and was inflicting pain.
The cat, unbelievably, was totally helpless. You don't see THAT every day, nuh-uhhh. Cats invariably get a way from dogs, this is my experience with the dogs that I have owned - except with Coco. She is a nutcase. She will stand at that back fence for HOURS, looking at the cats in the neighbor's backyard as if they were a Hostess Cupcake. Capture it, eat it.
I had to literally FORCE her to let go of that cat. It limped to the fence and crawled up it, jumped down the other side and beelined to the window of the house - where it's owners were anxiously awaiting. They just happened to be in that room of their house, doing laundry.
I could see them through their back window, examining the cat. I am quite sure, especially after seeing it limping, that it is wounded. Although I despise cats with a passion, I am not a person inclined to see animals being - killed - by other animals. Of course it goes on in nature and that doesn't bother me a bit - the food chain. But in the case of domesticated animals, it really doesn't "turn me on" at all.
Coco was only doing what comes naturally to her. I make no apologies for the actions of one of my dogs against a natural "enemy" that has come into our back yard. I won't even apologize for the damage to the cat - why should cats have free reign to run all over people's properties where they don't belong? I DID get the assault stopped as quickly as I could, yes.
But, if those people think I am going to pay for a vet for the wounds inflicted on that animal, they have a totally 'nother thing coming. I only say that because I know that woman over there well enough to know that she might attempt to make such demand.
I don't also wonder if there is retribution coming. I am going to aim one of my cameras towards that area of the back yard - if something happens to Coco - I love that dog, she is a totally cool doggy - I am going to have it on film and I am going to be able to......press charges, actually.
Speaking of cameras, I have been dreaming of an 8 camera system. My 4 camera system is nice, but it would be FAR nicer to have more complete coverage of my property. I think the guy that sent that stuff to me from - China - is still selling those systems on eBay and still selling it at FAR lower prices than ANYWHERE else I have been able to find. I have had that system up there for 2 going on 2 and a half years now. I have had minimal problems with it - the biggest problem was attempting to figure out how to get everything into English versus the default it is sent in at Chinese. Buying another 4 camera system would integrate into the system I have - no extra software - and I would only have to set up the cameras, run the lines and install another inlet plate on the back of the computer.
Of course, that is only a dream right now. At $249 for the system, I have much more pressing issues to deal with.
I just had to come in and write this up - I was getting hot out there anyway, was time to take a break. It's in the mid 90's today. Not HOT HOT - it only motivates me to get some of this harder labor stuff done before earthly hell arrives. With the addition of this 4th station on my drip system, I will have 98% of the plants on my property covered by the system. This will free up a lot of time for me in the summer versus spending 1-1/2 hours per day watering plants. The system can water all those plants for me, I need only turn on the system. I am resisting doing a fully automatic system - even though I have it set up for such - because I LIKE going out there, even during the hot summer, and inspecting every thing and make sure the emitters are working.
Which reminds me, it is soon going to be time to cover up my sliding glass door here - in the kitchen - on the west side of the house - to reduce the heating factor of such.
C'ya later.
ben
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