Bush tucker, also called bush food, is any food native to Australia and historically eaten by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but it can also describe any native flora, fauna, or fungi used for culinary or medicinal purposes, regardless of the continent or culture.
Dogs are amazing creatures.
When I’m walking my two, they will inevitably find “Street Tucker”. This could be chicken bones thrown in the curb, pork chop bones and meat that a wild animal pulled out of a trash bag on trash day, cat poop, rabbit poop, and whatever dead critter they found mashed in the street.
I’m usually in my own world while walking, and almost never pick up on the fact that they are going for a tasty snack before they have it in their mouth. This makes me choke up on the leash and holler “drop it, Drop it, FUCKDROPITGODDAMMIT!”
These guys will remember the location of every damn chicken bone they didn’t get. So I have to go through this a for a few days before I chuck whatever it is up on someone’s lawn. The worst is the cat or other shit. I’m guessing it’s mostly cats because it’s usually deeper in the grass.
Who knows. It’s disgusting.
I’ve worked really hard to figure out these two’s guts and I finally have it where I’m not dealing with puking or crapping everywhere. Not unlike humans, you can tell something about a dog’s health from their poop. Just like with a human, if they are putting out gooey piles, there’s a problem, usually a diet one.
Back to the street tucker. It’s generally easier to get Winston to drop something, or get it out of his mouth, than Aria. He’s a lab. They have what is considered a “soft” mouth.
Labradors are known for their “soft mouth,” allowing them to carry game gently without damaging it. This trait was invaluable to game hunters who relied on Labradors to retrieve birds unharmed. Beyond hunting, their gentle grip and intelligence have made them invaluable as therapy and assistance dogs, and they remain one of the most popular companion breeds across the UK.
You can see this if you give him a chew toy. He’ll fight a bit, but you’ll always get it out of his grip.
No so with Aria, who is a Shepherd mix. She has jaws like a set of vice grips.
You aren’t getting that ball without a fight. You can pull her off the ground and she won’t let go. Jasper was the same way.
Jethro was a different case entirely.
Look at the bored confidence on his expression. Not only were you unlikely to get the ball whatsoever, he pulled hard enough to knock you over or pull your arm out of it’s socket. He sure as hell wasn’t going to come off the ground or lose his stance at all.
Aria and Jethro locked in a battle for a rope toy was something to see. Jethro generally gave up because Aria was way more aggressive and violent. She’d whip her head back and forth until Jet gave up.
I’m generally more adept at seeing roadkill and routing them away from it. There’s nothing nastier than trying to pull a smashed and rotten squirrel out of a dog’s jaws.
Inspected By Pat 