Pets and Desert Critters

ROSCOE: Therapy Dog

March 19, 2013

WUMP! WUMP! WUMP! An incoming helicopter churned up the sand—gritty, dirty stuff stinging his eyes, clogging his nose and mouth. The smell of melting plastic and rotting flesh repelled him. He could almost make out the forms of people yelling and running through the sand. “ WATCH OUT! That’s a body there; don’t trip on it!” ACK! ACK! ACK! Machine gun fire—then the pop of an exploding grenade. His legs and arms started to move—faster and faster— breath came in harsh gasps. A weight landed on him. Push it off! The weight started licking him, his shoulder, his face—Roscoe! He…

Encounter with Nature

November 13, 2012

By Mel Mashman and Deirdre Harrington Deirdre and I live in Civano’s Northridge and we have two hummingbird feeders on our back patio. In early September we could not understand why our hummingbird feeders were empty each morning. One night we stayed up late and got our first glimpse of what was happening. We contacted Wild Birds Unlimited where we learned that we were very fortunate to have Nectar Bats enjoying our feeders. We wanted to share this experience with The Town Crier in case others are lucky enough to have a similar nightly attack. It seemed like 50 of…

A Walk on Civano’s Wild Side

September 5, 2012

By Susan Becque It was a cool, crisp October day when I decided to take a morning walk with my mini-dachshund, Sadie. I put on some sun screen, my straw hat, and attached Sadie’s leash to her collar. Off we went for our stroll. We walked about a mile enjoying the beautiful trees, clean air, and sightings of quail families. As we approached the intersection of Civano Boulevard and Cerulean, I noticed what appeared to be a dog standing on the corner. Walking closer, I realized it was a young, very lean coyote. We froze. It turned, looked at us,…

Flighty Excitement on Seven Generations Way!

June 30, 2012

By Ann Edwards Hummingbirds have been nesting on my side porch for the last five years. They’ve chosen a wind chime with a hummingbird theme (a plaster hummingbird hangs on top of the chimes) to raise their family. Two babies hatched about two weeks ago. I’ve been leaving my security screen open so I can keep an eye on the comings and goings of my little family. Four days ago I found the wind had broken the wire holding the wind chime, and my babies were out of their nest and on the concrete floor of my porch. Panic! I…

Rattlers in Civano North Ridge!

June 30, 2012

By Jerry Walker It’s 5:00 p.m. on June 15th on Sara Scarlet Loop when we notice our neighbors outside in the street just standing around. We discovered that they were waiting for the “snake guy” to come get a rattlesnake that was in one of the weep holes in the base of the wall (which allows water to flow off the property). This snake could not get onto their property because of the “critter barriers” that had been installed just a few days earlier by the snake guy. I’ll come back to that later…. When the snake guy arrived, the…

Stories from Our Animal Farm

May 16, 2012

By Ardi C. Whalen I’d like to tell you about some special animals that were part of my growing up. You will meet baby chicks, three horses, a gentle white pig, a bull calf, and a mischievous cow. One of my earliest memories of baby chicks involves my two-year-old sister. It was a beautiful summer day and my sister sat outside on the bottom step of the entrance to our house, snacking on some graham crackers. We had free range chickens that did just that, ranging freely, and one mother hen decided to investigate the cute, curly haired blond girl…

A Horse? Of Course!

March 24, 2012

By Ardi C. Whalen “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Winston Churchill said it, and I’d be willing to bet that most horse owners share this sentiment. Just looking at Mike’s beautiful, gentle horse, Frosty, awakened in me my childhood dream of owning a horse. Frosty is a Missouri Fox Trotter. This means that he possesses a unique gait known as the fox trot, a four-beat diagonal gait in which the horse appears to walk with his front legs and trot with his hind legs. It’s a smooth…

Three is (the Best) Company

January 17, 2012

By Ardi C. Whalen Tess, Dusty, and Bailey are three Shetland sheepdogs (more commonly known as “Shelties”), who share their Civano home with Nancy and Bob Daliege. Tess, 12 years old, likes people but is leery of strange dogs. She is a trained, registered therapy dog who came with Bob and Nancy when they moved here from Connecticut. Dusty, a loving seven year old who gave my hand several kisses, came from a Sheltie breeder in New River, Arizona. He is a bit larger than usual for a Sheltie, but that just means there is more of him to love.…

Pets and Desert Critters: In Ming Garcia, East Meets West

November 11, 2011

By Ardi C. Whalen Ming Garcia! After reading the above title, you are probably doing a double take. Isn’t this supposed to be a column featuring Civano pets? Yes it is, and Ming Garcia is the name of Pat and Ron Canady’s little dog, known informally as “Ming,” a.k.a. “Princess,” for, according to Pat, “She rules the house.” Curious about this unusual name for a canine companion, I asked Pat how they came up with it. “Ming,” she said, “is for the Ming Dynasty in China, the origin of the Pug dog.” Always curious, I Googled “Pug dog,” and I…

Dogs Have Families, Cats Have Staffs

September 18, 2011

By Ardi Whalen That quotation above is Suzanne Trevino’s favorite. She and her husband, Sam, swing back and forth between being family and being staff when dealing with their pets: two dogs and one cat, and they love every minute of it. (The quotation sometimes reads, “Dogs have owners, cats have staff.”) Sam Trevino picked up their first pet, a homeless, hungry, little cat roaming around the streets when they were stationed in Crete with the U.S. Air Force. When they returned to the United States, the little cat came with them. No mean feat, since this meant dealing with…

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