We came back from the grocery store yesterday to see a pasture full of dead animals.
Buried among the weeds was our Maremma, looking like nothing more than a pile of old white fluff.
It kind of looks like I just threw a white fleece out in the weeds.
The other dog, Toby the Farmcollie, looked done for too.
There he was, toes up, and dead to the world.
Worse, this apparent plague seemed to get the hoofed animals too. There was a lump that was once a cute little goat.
And alas! Even the llamas looked like goners.
What caused this dreadful plague? Why were all the animals keeled over like that?
In a word, sunshine. After days and days of rain, we had a beautiful day with bright sunshine and the animals were enjoying stretching out and soaking up the heat.
The cure? Well, dead animals need love. All I had to do was walk out there closer, and up popped heads, and the lump of a goat came to life. . .
As did our llama lady. . .
... and all the other "dead" critters.
They just can't resist seeing if I have any treats or pets for them. They sure do enjoy attention, so like I said, all the dead animals needed was a little love!
Wish it was that easy all the time!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Whew! Scared me for a moment! I was thinking somethi8ng had got in and killed your critters.
I’m relieved that they were just basking in the sunshine.
My herd were doing the same thing today. My daughter said Mama, I think Cataleya (our llama girl) died! She was laying sprawled out on her side, which is rare to see as they usually just kush. After several days of temps in the 20’s and snow packed on the ground, they are loving this upper 60’s degree weather. Me, too!
~Lisa
I guess the sunshine feels especially good after it’s been cold and rainy or snowy. Like you, I thought the nicer weather was great too!
Well dang it, you had me scared!! I couldn’t imagine what animal could take out your big watch dog.
The thing I’ve never understood is when all the animals (horses in my case) lay out/completely down in the sun. No one is keeping watch?
You had me going until I saw the black dog and then I knew they were sunning themselves. I guess they were taking full advantage of the long lost sun. Great pics.
Ceecee, I think maybe you have a point. I don’t see them do the laying flat out thing when I’m out there. As soon as they see me, they pop up. I took most of those pictures through a picture window just for that reason.
And yeah, Darrell, I thought the black dog would be a giveaway. I did at least try to pick one of the pictures where he wasn’t grinning.
He gets such a goofy grin when he’s laying sacked out and belly up, ha, ha!
Had me going there, Tish!
But if you’d looked in our living room yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, you’d have seen Mike and I sprawled on the couch and recliner also dead (to the world, that is).
But if you could have listened and not just looked, you’d have heard that we were alive! LOL
We love Sunday naps.
Apparently Sunday is just a good time for naps.
And when it’s warmed up after a lot of cool weather, the animals REALLY like sunning and being “dead the world.”
one time i had to walk all the way up to my horse, who was laying prostrate in the pasture, just to make sure he was still with us. he was so still.
Doesn’t it just give you heart failure when they do that? You holler; they don’t move, and you get all worried something bad has happened. Then just when you almost get there, their ears twitch or their head pops up!