He is a Catahoula Leopard mix. The Catahoula is named after the Catahoula parrish in Louisiana. The breed is believed to have occupied North America the longest, aside from the dogs descended from Native American-created breeds (they think they were bred from the Red Wolf that the Native Americans used to hunt and Greyhounds and Mastiffs brought by the Spanish).
We got him from a really nice no-kill shelter in Mebane, NC. We had the chance to meet the woman who had fostered him for the last 3 months. She had already almost completely house and crate trained him!
He is three months old and very energetic and intelligent.
We are thinking of calling him Louie.
It’s officially summer and our relationship with nature is reaching new levels.
Level 1 was the typical fascination and reverence that you expect from Brooklynites. Living in the City you become used to what we called “tiny nature” in college. Nature as diorama - small, manicured, and to be observed rather than a part of.
Level 2 was the realization that we share the house and yard with a multitude of insects and animals and that for the majority of the last decade they have been in control. Noisy birds nested in our chimney, mice eating through my packets of Aveeno Oatmeal Soothing Bath Treatment, a yellow jacket nest in the garden wall, spiders under the covers, ants swarming all over my desk, etc.
Level 3 is coming to peace with our shared habitat. Nature is not always serene and static like a postcard. It’s dog eat dog out here. Each creature fighting for optimal existence and we are right in the mix. So, we wrapped a t-shirt around a stake, dipped it in gasoline and smoked the yellow jackets out of the garden, my desk is now littered with ant carcasses, and we’ve made friends with some of the animals too :)
This is our new pet Ballerina the Bunny. Last weekend, after a night out, we saw a big bunny and a baby bunny as we pulled into the driveway. The big bunny hopped away, but the baby remained in the car port. She’s been there ever since. She is about the size of a big mango, eats from the plants/grass around the car port and stays out of the sight of predators in her various hiding places.
Me and pop dukes getting after the garden. Please note the excellent trowel.
