If I had a large property and all the money and time in the world, I’d want to own a menagerie of interesting animals. Here are a few of them, and my reasons for choosing them (all pics courtesy of Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise stated)…
Maine Coon Cat
I know we’re not supposed to marry people hoping to change them, but if there’s one thing I would change about my husband, it’s his allergy to cats. I think he’d want to change it too, since he adores all animals and would love nothing more than to be able to play with cute kittens without sneezing and wheezing! And if we were able to have a cat, there’s only one breed I’d want:
Maine Coon
Maine Coons would be in my menagerie because I love their wild look combined with a loving nature. These beautiful long-haired felines come in an array of colours and can weigh as much as 11 kg! I’m also hooked on grey-coloured animals, so I’d want a silver Maine Coon such as this one. Just gorgeous!
Silver Maine Coon
German Shepherd Dog
This may not be an unusual choice, but GSDs are my favourite dog breed of all time, so they’d definitely have a place in my menagerie. I admire them for their intelligence, loyalty and beauty. It’s no surprise they’re one of the most popular breeds in the canine kingdom – although sadly that can be a problem when unscrupulous backyard breeders flood the market with poor specimens 😡
German Shepherd Dog
Although I support animal shelters and would definitely also want to adopt one or more shelter dogs, if I owned my dream menagerie I’d probably prefer to source my GSD from a registered breeder and raise it from puppyhood to bring out the very best in my favourite breed 🙂
Shire horse
Hah! Bet you didn’t see this one coming!
Shire horse
These huuuuuuge gentle giants would have a place on my funny farm because of their impressive size and endurance. Who needs a stinky old tractor when you can get things done the old-school way with an enormous Clydesdale or similar workhorse? I love their giant feathery feet and slow-and-steady plodding manner.
Of course, this beastie wouldn’t be much fun for outrides, so I’d want to own a dapple grey horse for riding, too.
Dapple grey horse
Ferret
Aww, ferrets. They’re like a cross between a cat and a pet rat! They also come in a variety of coat colours, although I’d go for the greyest ones I could find. I’ve heard they make clever and adorable pets for involved owners… so they’d be on my list too.
Ferret
Miniature Lop Rabbit
Bunnies! I’ve always wanted to own bunnies! Especially tiny floppy-eared bunnies, such as mini lop rabbits:
Miniature Lop Rabbit
Apparently these little creatures are friendly and enjoy interacting with their human family. As I love all small animals and all grey animals, a tiny grey lop rabbit (or two… or six… or ten…) would make an ideal addition to my zoo 😀
Go-away birds
The go-away bird, formerly called the grey lourie, is a common resident in our gardens here in SA. Ninja and I call them the clowns of the sky because they’re always congregating in garrulous groups and getting up to the silliest antics. You can bet that the entire flock of louries will attempt to sit together on the thinnest, floppiest branch at the top of a tree! Their funny ‘ke-waaaaay’ cry gives them their name, as it sounds as if they’re chasing you away.
Go-away birds © Zest
They’re very vocal and expressive, with long fluffy crests that they can raise or lower to show their mood. They cackle and call to each other and comment on anything odd that they see. (I’ll never forget when my landlord’s garden wall fell down one day: a bunch of go-away birds perched in the tree next to the wall and were calling out perplexed ‘kwehhh?‘ sounds as they hopped around peering sideways at the broken wall!) A family of these birds would provide great entertainment to all on my property.
Ratties
Of course there would be ratties – as many of them as I could responsibly care for. Nuff said 🙂
Ratties © Zest
White-necked raven
Another large, cheeky addition to my menagerie would be the white-necked raven. This is one of Ninja’s and my favourite birds… bigger than your average crow, intelligent, inquisitive and equipped with a sharp, powerful beak. There’s no doubt this feathered friend would end up wrecking lots of things around my property!
White-necked raven © Zest
Alaskan Malamute
I love wolves, but I am strongly opposed to people breeding and owning wolves and wolf hybrids. So the closest I could get in my little zoo would be the beautiful, demanding Alaskan Malamute.
Alaskan Malamute
Bigger and more independent than Siberian Huskies, Malamutes are not for faint-hearted owners. This breed needs to be understood and properly cared for in order for it to live a fulfilled life with humans. These beauties are powerful, strong-willed working dogs that need to be given a job in order to make the best use of their energy and drive. I’d definitely give them a key role in my menagerie.
…oOo…
That’s just a small sample of the kinds of animals I’d love to own. Don’t ask me how I’d get them to all live together in harmony… but a girl can dream 😉
Sunshine Scrapbook 