Hard Choice

This weekend on our farm we said goodbye to one of our animals and hello to a new one. Let’s start with the goodbye. Back at the beginning of the summer, we got a gosling to help protect our flock. I had done quite a bit of research on how to protect a flock and since we aren’t really large enough for a Livestock Guardian dog a goose was recommended. Everyone recommended one goose since it would bond with other birds better that way, and that is what we did. So, for six months now we’ve had this goose, and she’s been pretty great for the most part. However, recently she took quite a turn in personality. Her normal goose honking, which we were totally fine with, changed pitch and became almost like an alarm sound. It was super high-pitched and screechy. Now, instead of honking here and there, if anyone was outside she screamed the entire time. When I get up at 7:30 to do chores she screams the entire time it takes me to get done. Evening chores, which sometimes get done at 9pm, she screams the entire time. One of our neighbors has a person living in an RV on their property and I assume he can hear this goose through the RV walls. Her cry is so loud it echoes through the entire neighborhood. We live on a three-acre plot and so do all of our neighbors. So, although we are in the “country” we do have quite close neighbors and I have felt horrible about this goose and her squawking. As if that weren’t bad enough she has recently taken to biting people. One thing I will absolutely not put up with in my home or on my farm is an animal that bites. Over the past few months, this goose has basically made it not enjoyable to be outside. Either she’s loud the entire time anyone is outside, or now if she gets near you she bites. So, we had a decision to make. Could we put up with the bad behavior, or did she need to go?

When we bought this property I made it clear that the animals brought onto our farm had to have a purpose. I have said from the beginning if they cannot fulfill that purpose they are gone. We loved our goose, she was like the farm mascot, but she got to a point where she was more of a problem than a benefit. I cannot afford to feed a problem animal, nor do I want to keep a problem animal. I want my family to be able to go outside and enjoy our farm and what we have on it. So, we made the tough decision and I went ahead and harvested the goose. She did not go to waste, we processed her and she went to freezer camp. I know it may seem harsh but I want people to feel free to make the tough decisions. Having a farm, or a homestead, or whatever you have has to work. The animals you raise have a purpose and when they can no longer fulfill that purpose you shouldn’t have guilt removing that animal. We have to have the mindset that farm animals are different from our pets. Getting rid of our goose made the most sense. Now, I don’t worry that neighbors are going to be mad at the noise, I don’t worry that my kids are going to be attacked, and being outside doing chores or simply hanging out on the property has become a lot more enjoyable. It was a hard decision and it was hard to follow through when that decision was made, but I am glad it’s done. I do believe that at the end of the day it was the right decision for us.

New Addition

On Friday our family welcomed a new member. I brought home an 8-week old English Springer Spaniel and we have named her Bonnie. I have big plans for little Bonnie. First and foremost she is going to be a bird-dog. I want to be able to take her hunting. Springer Spaniels are what are known as flushers. Her job is to find the bird and get it in the air so the hunter can shoot it. She will then retrieve the bird, so also a retriever. On top of this, I want to make a deer tracking dog. Many dogs can be trained to find deer, in fact I am on a Facebook page and I saw a post where a guy had his mini daschund out there tracking deer. My husband and I usually get an archery tag every year and I like the idea of having a dog that can help find the deer if we ever get one. It is also something that quite a few people turn into a business. I guess plenty of deer go missing every year, and they bring a dog in to find them.

We’ve had Bonnie for two days now and she is already retrieving fairly well, and yesterday after we processed the goose, we used the wing to train Bonnie and she did amazing with it. When I say retrieve, I mean, right now, she is basically playing fetch. It will get more complicated as time goes on but for now she has to get the object thrown and bring it back to me. Yesterday with the goose wing, she was a champ. I was worried she wouldn’t turn out to be a good bird dog since dad hunts, but mom doesn’t, but it seems like she may do ok after all. The desire is there at least. Now, I have to do my part and not screw it up. I am very hopeful that she will turn into a great dog, for now she is simply the cutest thing ever!!!!

Final Thoughts

I think the thing I have thought most about this week is that we have one life to live and we need to live it well. I am not a big fan of the saying “You have to make yourself happy”, because I think it leads to bad decisions sometimes, but sometimes you have to do what makes you happy. I struggled with the decision to get a new puppy. I definitely didn’t need a puppy right now. In fact, having a puppy is always a bit of a headache, but it’s what I wanted. Have I trained a bird dog before? No, but I wanted to try. As, I get older I am learning to trust my instincts more and worry about other peoples opinions less. I owe it to myself to be honest about who I am and what I want from my life. I am not saying push something when it’s the wrong time, but if you have the means and the desire, why not take a chance? You never know if it may be the best decision ever.