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I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

You are here: Home / Archives for I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Betty’s Wish Cannot Be Ignored

by TaMara|  February 13, 20235:39 pm| 21 Comments

This post is in: Make The World A Better Place, Pet Blogging, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

I have some stuff stashed just for emergencies like this.

CCKids sent me this and absolutely made my day last week:

Friendly, foul-mouthed crow befriends entire Oregon elementary school before state police are called in

A crow

Cosmo the talking crow, in a hat made by Daphnie Colpron.

By Lizzy Acker | The Oregonian/OregonLive
A friendly, if somewhat foul-mouthed, crow became a temporary mascot at Allen Dale Elementary School in November when the bird took up residence at the Grants Pass school.

“This crow showed up at our school just out of the blue one morning,” said Naomi Imel, an education assistant at Allen Dale, over the phone on Thursday.

It began looking into classrooms, Imel said, and pecking on doors. At one point, it made its way into a fifth-grade classroom where it “helped itself to some snacks,” she said.

Imel said the bird wasn’t aggressive at all and seemed to love the kids.

“It landed on some people’s heads,” she said.

And, she added, it spoke. The bird could say, “What’s up?” and “I’m fine” and “a lot of swear words.”

“It was like a parrot,” Imel said. “It was the weirdest thing.”

Still, because it was a wild animal that wouldn’t leave, the school called animal control.

“It was quite the production,” Imel said. “Animal control came out and decided it was not in their jurisdiction to catch the crow.”

Then, a wildlife officer from Oregon State Police came to the scene.

“That officer was able to feed it from his hand,” Imel said. “They didn’t want to net it because if they missed, it would remember.”

According to Imel, all the grades came out to witness the attempted capture of the talkative crow.

The crow seemed to enjoy the attention, playfully chasing kids around the track, she said.

“We thought it would fly away but it didn’t,” Imel added. “The kids were like magnets.”

Ultimately, the wildlife trooper was unable to capture the crow, who spent the night of Nov. 29 outside the school.

It turns out, talking crows aren’t just something out of an Edgar Allan Poe poem. And this crow, or possibly and more in line with Poe, raven, knows at least 40 words.

“He knows a lot of words, I’m not going to lie,” said Daphnie Colpron on Thursday. “His vocabulary has expanded quite a bit in the last few weeks.”

Colpron knows a good deal about the crow, or possibly, raven — who also may be female — because her mother rescued the bird about two years ago when it was a baby, bringing it home to the family’s farm in Williams from a shelter and naming it “Cosmo.”

The family has dogs, including a mastiff named “Tonka Truck,” Colpron said.

“Cosmo will say, ‘Tonka, you come outside,’ or he’ll say, ‘Dogs out,’” she said.

“Sometimes he does use profanity,” Colpron added.

Colpron’s mom, JaNeal Shattuck, considers Cosmo part of the family.

In the mornings, she said, “he will go right to my bedroom window and say, ‘Mom wake up, wake up!’”

There is a daycare in the neighborhood and Cosmo loves kids, Colpron said.

“As soon as he found out what time the kids got there,” she said, “he’d go over there and hang out.”

Shattuck is a rescuer of animals but Cosmo is extra special to her. She considers him a free bird but also has a close attachment to him and so, when he disappeared after she came back from an out-of-town Thanksgiving, she was “devastated,” she said. “He’s like a person, not a bird.”

At first, Shattuck was concerned that Cosmo had been killed. It seems that while some neighbors loved Cosmo as much as Shattuck and Colpron, not everyone was quite as thrilled with the talking bird.

Cosmo isn’t aggressive, everyone involved with him agreed. But, said Colpron, “if people are scared of Cosmo, he finds that a little funny.”

“He will get obnoxious,” she added, saying he likes to tease people.

While the family was gone for Thanksgiving, they said a neighbor captured the bird and took him to a local animal sanctuary. The sanctuary, not realizing he was habituated to humans, released him, likely in Grants Pass.

Once he was out, Shattuck said, he started looking for home, causing quite the stir in town.

“Cosmo would sit on top of Planet Fitness, talking to people who were going in,” Shattuck said. “He was looking for me.”

Shattuck posted on Facebook about the lost bird, hoping to find him.

After following a family friend in a truck Shattuck and Colpron think he recognized, Cosmo ended up at Allen Dale.

“He went to the only kid I know in Allen Dale and knocked on the door,” Shattuck said. “When he was in the school he was jumping around saying, ‘It’s OK! I’m fine!”

That was the fifth-grade classroom where Cosmo found snacks.

That night, when the kid relayed the story of the talking crow to his father, the father called Shattuck. Colpron went the next day to collect Cosmo.

“It took about 45 minutes of me offering sardines,” she said.

She petted the bird and waited until his eyes were closed and then grabbed him.

Colpron thinks he’s happy to be home. He hasn’t been back to visit the neighbors who captured him.

But while the story of Cosmo the talking crow or raven and his or her family is sweet, Oregon State Police would rather you don’t take the wrong inspiration from it.

“We don’t want people making pets out of wild animals,” said OSP spokesperson Stephanie Bigman. “If they had contained this bird, it would have been a wildlife offense.”

For now though, Cosmo is free and back home, and the children of Allen Dale have a story to tell this holiday season that no one is going to believe.

— Lizzy Acker

==============================

A cute puppy taking himself sledding:

The very essence of joy 😍 pic.twitter.com/o11cxnWTpD

— Katie S. Phang (@KatiePhang) January 8, 2023

==============================

Dog loves his music:

==============================

==============================

And finally, Amanda and Karen… a match made in…hell?

We love a deliberate queen pic.twitter.com/JxNnJHDjoH

— Amanda (@useless_farm) February 3, 2023

She’s on Instagram, facebook if you want to follow her adventures with her rescue farm. She makes the funniest videos of her critters, including using movie soundtracks with the animals saying the lines.

Also, if you’re a fan of Ben Affleck or Dunkin – the outtakes from his Super Bowl commercial are funny.

My morning was made much brighter by a big, fluffy mix that was bigger than Scout, a harlequin Dane about the size of Bixby, and Trixie getting her first puppuccino, all at my first client’s.

That should be enough to give you some respite today. I’m back to work…

 

Betty’s Wish Cannot Be IgnoredPost + Comments (21)

Saturday Good News Thread: Honoring Lily

by TaMara|  October 29, 20226:53 pm| 78 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Pet Blogging, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

I’ve been meaning to update you on Jasper for a while. He will have been here three months this coming week. It’s been a riotous three months. He’s a very good boy, but we have had a variety of issues to work out, starting with boundaries, how to keep his huge and very strong front paws to himself, and to stop being selectively deaf when it comes to the word “no.”

Saturday Good News Thread: Honoring Lilly

He pulls the same look anytime I scold him. He turns on the charm and reminds you that he was once starving and abandoned. I feel like a villain, but remain steadfast in his training. He rewards me by catching on incredibly quickly.

Saturday Good News Thread: Honoring Lilly 1
Look at that booty

Scout still feels a bit put upon, but she enjoys romping around the yard with him. He insists on full body contact with her when they sleep and while she tolerates it, she throws me those “why me?” looks from across the room.

Saturday Good News Thread: Honoring Lilly 2

It’s impossible to get them all looking at me at once…so here are 2 of them

Saturday Good News Thread: Honoring Lilly 3

And here we have two of them. Just a different two. Trixie always looks so serious when I take her photo, but she’s a clown when the camera isn’t pointed at her.

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Saturday Good News Thread: Honoring LilyPost + Comments (78)

Friday Respite: Got Some Duck News

by TaMara|  June 18, 20215:11 pm| 35 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Duck Blogging, Nature & Respite, Pet Blogging, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

I just got back from 8 days of bliss and still trying to hang on to the feeling. I know it’s been a while since I posted and there will probably be big gaps in posts from me for a while. I’m trying to take a summer break from news as much as I can.

Meanwhile, I am still posting duck, pups and kitteh adventures (and recipes) here.  Have some fun watching Bixby enjoy his 7th birthday present here and the duckteens playing with the sprinkler here.

We had some big, but not unexpected news last night:

It’s official.  Just before bed last night it was quite clear that Nick’s drake feather popped. Was 99% sure, because of his quack, he was a boy – but didn’t want to make assumptions. Not one of my ducks sounds the same, so figured no reason not to wait until we had a definitive answer.

Without further ado, here are Nick and his drake feather:

So it’s officially Nick and Nora. If they open their own detective agency, I’m sure it’ll make a good story….

If you’re wondering what that means? Not much, except that I’ll get fewer eggs. As long as he doesn’t start bullying Mabel and Maddie we’ll all be a happy flock. He’s been very respectful, so far, and he’s completely bonded to Nora, so I don’t actually expect that to change. My first duck was a drake and hen pair and when she died unexpectedly, he bonded to my Great Dane Shelby and to me – and killed any other ducks I tried to integrate. So I’ll keep a watchful eye.

 

And yes, this boy turned 7 on Wednesday:

Respite Open Thread: The Lion Escapes Tonight

That went by fast…

Respite open thread

Friday Respite: Got Some Duck NewsPost + Comments (35)

Respite Open Thread: Ducks and Danes

by TaMara|  May 29, 202112:11 pm| 41 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Duck Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Anne Laurie sent me this tweet thread, it’s a smile maker:

Here’s a little jingle ?

Baby ducklings share a snooze 1/x pic.twitter.com/UmBbR1lS4e

— Christina Larson 可心 (@larsonchristina) May 23, 2021

We had our own duckling rescue this week. The fire department and police joined forces to retrieve ducklings from a street grate:

show full post on front page

Respite Open Thread: Ducks and DanesPost + Comments (41)

Respite Open Thread: How About Some Sweetness?

by TaMara|  April 23, 20215:05 pm| 133 Comments

This post is in: Nature & Respite, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Damn allergies.

LOOK AT THAT SMILE!
6th grade students at Detroit Lakes Middle School made sure to include Kale in the football game during recess.
Kale said it was the best day of his life❤?❤?Katieabiggar pic.twitter.com/qZz3DTn5Nl

— GoodNewsCorrespondent (@GoodNewsCorres1) April 23, 2021

Our very own Just Some Fuckhead has some new adorableness in his life. Meet the grandbabies:

Respite Open Thread: How About Some Sweetness?

I can’t even with all the cuteness.

Respite Open Thread: How About Some Sweetness? 1

And in my world, the Duckteens are outside all day and should be spending the night in the coop with the big ducks once I screw up my courage.  So far, they’ve kind of been obnoxious to the older ducks, so I’m keeping a watchful eye.

 

And finally, in honor of Shakespeare’s birthday, my library (which is the best!) posted this interesting list:

May be an image of text

And in jackal news, on Sunday at noon EDT, we’ll be featuring Dorothy Winsor’s newest book. She’ll be available to chat. Which is good, because I have questions.

Respite open thread

Respite Open Thread: How About Some Sweetness?Post + Comments (133)

Respite Open Thread: The Duckteens Have Arrived

by TaMara|  April 14, 202110:07 am| 38 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Oh boy, we’ve entered the duckteen stage!

It’s time to spend time outside. Starting inside their pen so the big ducks could get to know them first, they quickly moved to exploring the yard. Despite Mabel protesting loudly, they always gravitate to wherever the big ducks are hanging, or follow them around the yard.

It started a little faster than I intended.  After two days spending time in their pen,  I opened the patio door to start the grill and they ran over and demanded to go outside. So, I popped them down the stairs and they promptly ran over to the big ducks. They have a death wish.

 

I decided to let them explore the yard as I prepped dinner, keeping an eye out, and they played nicely. So I put their pen away and now we are working on the transition to living outdoors. Maddie and Nora are my peacemakers, while Mabel is making sure everyone knows she’s the dominant duck in the flock, which Nikki interprets as a threat to Nora. So Nikki then takes on Mabel and I have to keep a close eye and step in on occasion.

More photos and a long video of their outside adventures here.  (And all the duckling photos/videos are here)

Right now they are driving me nuts because they can’t go outside, it’s much too cold and snowing. But we are probably a week out from them being outside permanently, so there’s that. LOL

I have to run out for most of the day, I suspect it’s going to be a busy news day, so use this as your thread to come back to for relief from the crazy.

Respite open thread

Respite Open Thread: The Duckteens Have ArrivedPost + Comments (38)

Respite Open Thread: Loving Sons, Dogs and Ducks – Oh, My!

by TaMara|  March 28, 202112:00 pm| 26 Comments

This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread

Some feel good after a rough week.

I needed this one this morning:

By now, most of you have probably seen this, but I wanted to make sure:

here’s the full story on Sisu, as well as many more pics of the two of them ?https://t.co/sHrKQAerXX

— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) March 27, 2021

We don’t deserve dogs.

As promised, I finally put together the photos and video from week 3

Respite Open Thread: Ducklings Week 3

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Respite Open Thread: Loving Sons, Dogs and Ducks – Oh, My!Post + Comments (26)

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