ST.BERNARD AND THE KINKAJOU

Not my pictues

I really shouldn't love animals like I do considering my very first exposure to them. The very first dog I remember , I could walk under his drooling mouth only ducking a bit at three years old. (Yes I do remember). He was Oscar the St. Bernard. These are gigantic dogs which can be almost 3 feet tall at the shoulders and can weigh close to 200 pounds. Elephantine to a three year old.

This massive St. Bernard decided I needed a furry nanny. He wasn't ours but belonged to a next door neighbor. I really didn't like him for he constantly got in my way and interfered with my play. Most of my outdoor time was spent on my behind, looking at his under belly in frustration.

I would attempt to waddle across the yard, only to have Oscar move his 180 pounds into my path if he decided it wasn't safe. I would thump into him and fall on my behind. I never seemed to see him coming though I should have smelled him. I really don't think he ever had a bath and this was Indian Rocks Florida in the summer.

Now I wasn't a three year old waddling about on my own. My mother would be on the porch watching the whole thing and laughing. She loved Oscar as much as I resented him and she rewarded him constantly with doggy biscuits for his devotion to keeping me out of trouble.

Once he actually grabbed me by my dress and dragged me squalling back to the porch as I got too near the road in his estimation. He got a whole slice of baloney for that feat. He never hurt me, just inhibited my freedom. He was like a bossy, stinky older sibling. Even today, the dog dead last on my wish list is the St. Bernard. Wonderful dogs I guess for other people, just not good memories for me.

Oscar's owners moved after about a year much to my delight and a widow lady moved in the same house. I was thrilled she didn't own a St. Bernard, instead, she had a Kinkajou which we were told sternly to stay away from. My mother was a serious animal lover but she never trusted this exotic creature.

Not my pictures but you can see what a cute animal they are.



A Kinkajou ,also known as the honey bear, is related to raccoons and is native to South and Central America. This nocturnal animal is hunted by the pet trade, also for their fur and meat. The average adult Kinkajou weighs about 6 pounds and is about 20 inches long with an equally as long prehensile tail. It has short legs with five toes on each foot and sharp claws. I know all about those claws.

Kinkajous are unfortunately sometimes kept as pets as the widow did. They are playful, generally quiet, docile, and have no noticeable odor. However, they can occasionally be aggressive. The neighbor lady had a long scar on her arm from her “honey bear.”

Sometimes she would bring Honey, as she not too originally called him, outside and we would gather around in curiosity ignoring parental warnings. One particular day, the little beast eyed me and for an unknown reason, jumped right on top of my head. Off I went on my stubby legs screaming which only excited the little bugger. Luckily I ran in circles which made rescue easier.

He dug his really sharp claws into my scalp as we tore in wild circles. My older brother, who was supposed to be watching me, grabbed a nearby broom and proceeded to brain me repeatedly, trying to swat the creature off my head. I screamed and the creature screamed. His owner finally collared us and pulled him unwillingly off my head. He hung on ripping strands of hair out before finally leaping to her shoulder in fright.



Yes----Kinkajous are cute but this is what he looked like to me that day.
The Kinkajou incident strained relations between the neighbor lady and my family for quite a while. My parents were upset she had such an uncontrolled aggressive animal that had attacked their small child and the lady was upset with my brother for taking a broom to Honey. Also, we had been in her yard, not ours, which gave her an edge in the blame game.

Reminds me of the Middle East today. No one really listens to or tries to understand the others viewpoint. Both sides in our “middle east” had some validity.
I didn't really have a good relationship with an animal till we got Susie that same year. She was a toy fox terrier who was a family member till I was in my teens. She was a darling that healed all prior resentments and fears. Susie cemented my love for animals.

You ever have an experience with a creature great or small that colors your judgment of them today?
Want to thank everyone so very much for all your supportive comments while I was laid up. I am not 100% yet but MUCH better. At least I can again enjoy the computer. I have missed visiting you so much and will try to catch up. Thanks again. Can't say it enough, you are the best.