[Sca-cooks] Ideas for homemade holiday gifts - for cat owners

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Muiriath wrote:
> I found it interested that they used their poodles to retrieve the squirrels.? I know 
> that at least the ancestors to poodles were water retrievers, but never knew that 
> even the toy breeds could be used.? And here I can't even get my yorkie to course

My mom turned grey early (in her late 30s), and decided to get a dog to match her hair. She bought a silver toy poodle from a line of show dogs (this was back around 1959 or so when silver poodles were very unusual). He had some fancy show name reflecting his lineage, but we called him Scooter, after Scooter Rizzuto, the famous shortstop for the NY Yankees.

We had a large back yard with a chain like fence all around it. One day he came back in from the  yard and headed for his bed at the far end of the butler's pantry. There were odd noises coming from there and when we checked it turned out he was finishing off a rabbit he had caught. I had to opportunity on another occasion to see him catch another - it's the only time i heard a rabbit scream.

Those little brainless pocket-hanky dogs, bred strictly for tiny size and not for character, probably don't remember, but my mom's dog was a real poodle. I don't know about coursing, but a Yorkshire terrier should know what to do with rodents. After all, back in SCA-period they were often used as ratters.
--
Urtatim (that's ur-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita