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About the Animals |
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All our dogs are friendly souls. We would like to introduce you. The big fellow is Sultan, an Anatolian Shepherd, hailing from Turkey. His job is to protect the place after dark, especially the other animals. He’s pretty worthless during the day. His favorite thing to do in the summer is open the screen door and make himself comfortable in your air-conditioned cabin--after he’s rummaged through your trash, that is. Sultan’s running buddy is Mama. Mama has a story to tell. She came to us after being rescued from the highway with her 12 pups. She’s afraid to be friendly but very sweet anyway. Brettie Sue, the Brittany, tries to keep everything under control. She’s friendly to a fault and is always in a hurry. The reddish-brown dog is Murphy Sue Brown. She is all snarl and no bite. She thinks she is quite fearsome and strangers think she is too, but she warms up really quick once she knows you belong here. The wet one is Duchess–a beautiful black lab/retriever mix that won my heart while I was volunteering at the animal shelter. Duchess is slap-happy and spends most of her time in the pond.
In the house you will find Willie and his new bro, Waylon, our black Chihuahuas. Willis was a lone dog for about four years until we decided he needed a friend. The Outlaws now rule the roost. Carolyn, the black and white cat gives both of them a rough time. They stay up in our part of the house most of the time The Chis are not allowed outside, so if you should see them outside (heaven forbid!), you KNOW it’s round up time at Puddin’ Ridge. They must be captured at once!
The barn cats are Sue, the tabby/white cat; Blue, the stray tom that Sue hasn’t managed to run off; and Dee. A, Bean, and Margaret hang at the farmhouse. C has taken up residence at the lake. Visitors at the Driftwood and the Wind Chime will no doubt meet sweet CeeCee.
The nine plus small horses are American Miniatures. They all have names. You can ask us if you want to get acquainted. They love visitors with treats. Carrots are their favorite.
The Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are Squiggy, Pinky, Thelma and Louise. The piggies are friendly if you have food in your hand and will eat just about whatever you offer.
The llama is Otis, a guest favorite. Llamas have a bad reputation for spitting, but we’ve never seen Otis do so. The truth is they seldom spit at people, only other llamas. Otis loves visitors although he’s a little shy. He is friendlier to our guests than he is to us! Be forewarned! He is especially fond of you ladies with blond or silver-gray hair. You will find him trailing along after you–sniffing at your hair. Get the camera ready for a great photo-op.
Then there are the chickens and Booger, the rooster. He loves to have his picture taken. The water birds on the pond come and go. There are mostly mallards, but Canadian geese arrive from time to time. We haven’t named the catfish. You are welcome to wet a hook. You’ll need heavy-gauge line for those rascals. There are also a few small bass and some perch.
All in all, Puddin’ Ridge is more like one large petting zoo, and all animal and nature lovers will be in hog heaven.