Eating Crow by Guest Blogger Roberta Striga

| Print | By | August 1, 2008 9:53 AM

He loves his dog treats, he does not want to be left behind when his family goes for a daily outing, he jumps into his owner’s lap, fetches the mail and even attacks the postman.

Heavens the only thing my dog is willing to fetch is a slipper. Not to mention it is a slipper I have strictly forbidden her to fetch. And do not get me started on the attacking. But I digress, I will come to that a bit later.

Jack loves all things dogs love. The only thing is Jack is not a dog - but a crow. With a bit of a trans-species issue.

Jack was rescued by Notaro Livingstone family (of Huntsworth, Sommerset) after they have found him on a fishing trip. He fell out of his nest and was so weak he could not even lift his head let alone fend for himself. So the Notaro Livingstones decided to take him home. But since Notaro Livingstones have 5 dogs, Jack has been learning by example and took on a number of dog characteristics.

crow.poodle.jpg

Cheryl Notaro Livingstone, the 12-year-old daughter of the family, said: “Whenever we get in the car, he jumps in too because he wants to come with us. And when mum comes back, he jumps on her lap like an excitable puppy.”
Jack might be a bit confused whether or not he is a dog or a crow, but that has got to be the sweetest crow-who-thinks-he-is-a-dog I have ever seen.

I have to say I feel a bit better knowing I am not the only dog owner who has a pet that is a bit confused with trans-species issues.

My Brittany Spaniel pup has been picking up tricks from our 2 cats. I guess it was only to be expected since she was smaller then the cats when we got her.
Now she is prone to kneading on my stomach and catching moths with her front paws.

I’m hoping she will grow out of it – currently her weight is about 20 pounds and that can be heavy on the stomach.
Which leads me to the real predicament, as the troubles of getting her to act like a (well behaved) dog do not stop there.

She has taken on jumping all over my family and anyone who walks through the door. It does not help it is summertime and with our legs and arms bare, well lets just say we all look like we had been dragged backwards through a particularly nasty hedge (scrapes everywhere).

I have tried with ignoring her, with positive affirmation and even holding her paws - she stops for a minute, but soon enough she is back to her usual tricks.

Needless to say I am at my wits end and I really do not want to go down the route where she gets a visit from the Spank fairy.

Given it has been a while since I trained a pup, our dog of 17 years who passed away earlier this year was really well behaved even at his most exuberant.

Right now I think it would be easier to train Jack the crow.

So I am asking you dear readers – does anyone have tips or tricks they would like to share? What are your training techniques to get a dog to back off? Leave a comment or write to stories@ petside.com


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