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Romeo...On Duty
His Name is Romeo. For what it’s worth, he lives up to his name and has fathered a good many offspring, but that’s a tale for another day. Romeo is a Mediterranean Donkey, usually called Miniature Donkeys in this country.
Romeo is one of the most important residents on our little Sub-rural (between the suburbs and rural America, I think I invented the word - humor me if I didn’t) homestead. He protects our livestock from predators, he babysits the young animals so their mothers can graze, and from the photo, you can see that he also serves as a living jungle gym.
All Romeo asks for in return is some fresh grass in the summer, hay in the winter, the occasional apple and a scratch behind his ever so long ears. That’s what I call value for money.
Our little grey man plays another valuable role as our home defense early warning system. He is better than ADT could ever hope to be.
Rom is always on duty. He never takes a day off, and nothing on two or four legs or on wheels comes onto our property without grabbing his attention; especially after dark. Coyotes, dogs, cats, raccoons, possums and even lost motorists have all learned that you don’t sneak past him...ever. Depending on the kind of intrusion, he handles it himself, or sets off a chain reaction that would shake the very foundations of Hell.
At the first recognition of someone or something entering the property without authorization, Romeo will let out a bray. The volume and length of the bray will be determined by his assessment of the seriousness of the threat.
If the intruder is of the four-legged variety, he will take matters into his own hands, er, hooves and either chase it off or stomp it into submission. Most would be predators head for the hills when they hear him or see him charging after them. At least one unlucky or overly stupid coyote met his maker by deciding to stand its ground. Anything smaller than a mountain lion would be foolish to mess with a LGD (livestock guardian donkey) in the administration of his protective duties.
If the ‘guest’ is of the two-legged or motorized variety, Romeo will be particularly urgent in his call, but will keep his distance. The bray will alert the collies, at which time Rom’s work is finished.
The collies will raise the dead with the decibels they create when taking over the warning system. They will not attack an intruder, but will certainly make someone think twice about continuing their quest if he/she/ has come with Mal-intent.
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Lucy & Tuck...Off Duty
The incessant, eardrum shattering, barking of the collies than alerts the Mastiffs who reside in the house with the humans. The Mastiffs take up the baton at this point. Lucy, the smaller of the two at 100 lbs (and part bull-mastiff) will take the lead in discouraging anyone from proceeding in a forward manner without the express permission of a human resident. Should no such permission be granted, I pity the fool who presses his/her luck.
Tuck, the larger dog, with sharper teeth, will be a step behind, wagging his tail and waiting to join in the fun, should Lucy need backup or should his extra size and strength be required. Tuck can take our 4 foot fence in an easy bound, so running wouldn’t do a soul one bit of good; although Tuck would dearly love someone to try.
In the unlikely event that an intruder should still be moving, or even standing erect, at this juncture, the collies will join the action. They would never start a war, but they have no problem piling on.
By this time, either my wife or I will be on the scene with selected armaments chosen specifically to deter or end the confrontation, but I will leave the details of those toys for another post.
As for Romeo, while the fanged members of the defense team are cleaning up the situation, he will probably be peacefully grazing, stopping long enough to raise his head, watch the dogs at work and think, “God, I’m good.”
Admittedly, our Early Warning System is not typical, but I bet some of you out there have some creative arrangements, too. Please do share.