Fred and Jack get hitched
June 30, 2009
These guys are both very nice, but Jack is Mr. Hyde once he’s hitched. I guess I was too slow, but when I was tightening his hame straps he gave me a pretty good bite on the collarbone. Once we got going, Jack was crazy for a minute or two, and I was unable to avoid driving over several substantial obstacles in the yard. After Tammie got them hitched to the wagon, they slowed down a bit, and we made several circuits of a small pasture until they were responding to voice commands with minimal use of the lines. At this point the bull and steer saw us and broke into a panic. Jack and Fred gave chase. The wagon was bouncing around behind me like a can on a string, and I debated whether to leap from the vehicle and try and roll clear.
They finally slowed down again, and it was back to voice commands. They look so calm in this picture, considering they were bent on destruction just moments before it was taken.
Congrats, boys…did not realize they’d legalized gay marriage in your state (once you marry teh gehs, of course, it’s straight down the slippery slope to my nuptials with a sassy, sexy mule. Jack–call me!).
Oh, wait.
Sounds like you need to be a beast-of-burden whisperer (as well as a mule fluffer). I have enough trouble with 2 single-minded chihuahuas, without adding horns and massive dentition to the mix.
They freak out a little if you separate them. Occasionally one will lose the other one when they’re in the larger field out front, and one of them will come walking back to the house, sobbing.
It was worse when they first got here, but now they’re starting to get the idea that they’ll find each other eventually. They’ve also developed an attachment for the other mules, and resent being separated from them. That may be why I got bit this morning. Then again, they bite you softly when they’re insecure. It’s the equivalent of steadying yourself by grabbing someone’s arm- they do it a lot when they’re having their feet trimmed and have to stand on three legs.
What does it sound like when a mule sobs?
It’s a kind of bellowing noise that trails off into a “huh-huh-huh”. They remind me of a distraught kid who’s lost their folks at a department store.