Monthly Archives: September 2010

Tillie at 16 Weeks

I’ve not had time to sit down and write. Our new labradoodle has kept me running. We have become “guardians” of a pretty little female Australian labradoodle named “Country Matilda Lil Miss Q” or “Tillie”. She’ll grow to be about 35 pounds. She’s already a great garden companion; content to be by my side wherever I go.

Someone told me not to get a “bird dog” like a Labrador retriever or pointer as they were “just too interested in chickens for their own good”. We looked into terriers but they are “diggers” I wasn’t sure our large garden would be compatible with a Norwich, Jack Russell, or Wheaten. Then I heard about an Australian labradoodle. The medium size multigen grows to 30-40 lbs and are calm (bred to be therapy and service dogs) and non-shedding. Yes, they come from bird dog descent so we’ll just have to see how that plays out.

Tillie is Curious; Hens are Cautious

Tillie is curious, suspicious, and more than a little interested in those “squawking” hens. When I hold our tamest girls, Tillie nuzzles them trying to determine if there is something edible under the fluffy feathers. When I let her into the run she follows them around using her senses to figure out what these strange creatures are. Gentle Daisy follows Tillie, carefully removing bits of straw from her coat.

Daisy Gently Picks Straw from Tillie's Coat

I’m not so unrealistic as to think I can trust this little birddog with my hens, but I hope that Tillie’s curiousity will blossom into some kind of tolerance for these beautiful birds.

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