We're missing a duck. Not lost, but savaged by a dog that ran into the yard. Someone from the stables found the duck floating limply in the water, its tail end raw and half chewed and the dog nearby trying to get at it again. The dog had no collar or means of identification so someone slipped a leading rope around it while we tried to contact the dog warden (as I certainly didn't want the dog on the farm) and Bill put the duck out of its agony. A few minutes later a man arrived on the farm searching for his dog. He was shown the duck. He offered money. We declined. He took the dog away using the leading rope because he didn't have a lead. A few days later an envelope arrived in the post. Inside was the leading rope and a latex glove. No note. Bizarre. By coincidence, the next day a friend had a chicken massacred in his yard by a dog that the owner didn't have on a lead. Not pleasant.
The last duck that sat on her eggs abandoned them shortly after I wrote about it. Now there is another duck sitting - The little brown duck has been sitting tight on her nest. The other ducks leave the run... read more
