Wednesday 13 December 2017

The Alpha by Pat Rawle

Ky left and Carra right.


Just before I left Sydney for the far north coast, I did a quick trip to “Merigal” to say farewell to Berenice and the dingoes. It was a surpise visit and nobody to be seen as I walked in, leaving my part dingo in the car in the street.

Walking past one of the enclosures on my way to the house, several pups (and Mum) spotted me, of course, but only one or two came up to the fence. The others stayed well back with Mum.

Berenice came out and after I had had an admiring peep at Sheila (in her house yard) Berenice asked me to bring my dog in, which was very unusual. She then told me to take my dog, Kyogle, over to the fence containing the pups. Berenice watched the reaction of the pups and it became obvious that she knew Ky was an alpha and was using her to confirm her own pecking order selection. As with my first look at the pups, the same thing took place – just one or two coming over to the fence, the others staying fairly close to Mum in various positions.

The pups reacted in the same way to Ky’s scent as they had to mine, which of course was Ky’s.

Dogs incredible sense of smell is always a wonder to me. Whenever I am out without my current alpha (dingo) and meet people with a dog they (the dog or dogs) show me the same respect as they would to my alpha. A quick sniff of me and deference is displayed at once!

Tuesday 5 December 2017

Tasmanian Holiday with a Shaky Start



At 19 Berenice and a friend went on a week’s holiday to Tasmania. Excitedly they boarded their flight. They were no sooner in the air when the plane began turning around. The passengers could see smoke pouring from an engine, and, in the distance, fire engines and ambulances racing towards the airport.
As it landed one tyre burst, and then another.  The passengers sweltered inside as their aircraft was covered in foam. 

Her parents, Ken and Betty, must have been in shock seeing a plane approaching the runway with smoke pouring from it and realising it was the one they had just seen depart with their daughter aboard. 

Fortunately, nobody on the plane panicked. Everyone was frozen in their seats with only the white faces of the stewardesses indicating the danger they were in.