A bit about Sky
As a youngster and up until she was about twelve or thirteen, Sky was one of the most energetic dogs I have ever known. Fortunately, for most of those years we were living on a farm and once we had learned that she could be trusted not to harm livestock, we were able to let her have free range over the property.
I always wish we knew Sky’s background. She came to us looking well-fed and cared for, and very well-mannered. She was a hunter at heart, and taking her breed into consideration, she may have belonged to someone who hunted wild pigs. She never showed any interest in domestic animals, including cats, but she was lethal to rabbits, possums and rodents.
The house was on the top of a hill, with a great view of the whole farm and Sky’s white coat made her easy to observe. Every day she would go off on a mission to investigate every patch of brambles, bushes and trees on the farm. She would be away for hours, often returning with a rabbit or a rat. Her patience and persistence were great lessons in how to succeed in life: I once observed her daily assault on a pile of logs in which she knew a rat was hiding. It took her six days, but she got that rat!
During a period when I was away overseas, Sky stayed with farming friends who had a Jack Russell terrier named Katie. Katie and Sky teamed up to become a deadly threat to the possum population on the farm. They made frequent expeditions to the back of the farm, returning most days with Sky proudly carrying a rabbit or possum, and once a ferret, in her powerful jaws.
Sky’s two other great passions in life are food and sunbathing, both of which have to be restricted for her – she tends towards obesity now that she is old and less active and her white coat (which has always been fine and sparse) and pink skin make her susceptible to skin cancer.
Sky’s hunting takes place only in her dreams now, but I’d say, judging by sounds and body movements she often makes during sleep, that she catches a fair few critters.
