by Patrick Corcoran

Created on: January 28, 2009   Last Updated: August 19, 2009

George and Gracie Goose

A long, long time ago in a land far, far away. . . Actually it was in the summer of 2005 at our farm in Kentucky. My wife and I (which really means mostly my wife) decided that horses, cattle, ducks, a kennel full of dogs, a shed full of chickens, four goats, a parrot and a donkey weren't enough animals in our lives. She set her sights on owning a pair of geese. So one Saturday we drove over 75 miles to buy our fowl. There were a couple places nearby that sold them but my wife had to have large, white, male and female, Chinese Crested Geese.

We drove west and left the interstate. We drove further and left the state road. A little more and we left the county road, paved road and then onto a dirt road. I began to wonder if we had to actually go to China to get them. About one mile more along the gravel then a sharp right turn and up a steep hill got us to our destination. We arrived at a place set so far back in the Kentucky woods I'm sure Ole' Dan'l Boone himself had never been there! Behind the proprietor's very nice home were several buildings that housed hundreds of chickens if not more. There were also over 20 geese of varying breeds running around the property. Most of them scattered in fright as soon as we got out of the truck except for two very large, white geese that stood over three feet tall that did not seem bothered by our presence. They actually paid us no mind at all because they were busy . . . chasing a dog!

Not only were they chasing a dog they were honking so loud it was difficult to talk over the din they made. Did I mention the dog was a Rotweiller with a studded collar? These geese were chasing that dog with their wings outstretched, necks horizontal to the ground, honking and trying to bite the Rotty! I closed my eyes on the scene because I just knew that these were the Chinese Crested Geese we had come to buy.

As the owner walked toward us wearing waders and a horse-trader's grin I knew what he was going to say but I hoped maybe he wouldn't. "Are you the folks coming for the Chinese Crested?"

You don't know how much I wanted to tell him we were lost and just looking for directions back to the road but my wife said, "Yes, we are!" And she was smiling!

It got worse. He pointed at the dog's tormentors and said, "Well, that's them!"

My wife jumped off the ground slightly, clapped her hands, smiled and said, "Oh goody!"

"Oh Goody?" I asked as I looked at her with puzzled animation. The owner looked concerned

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