marking your territory
The fencing around the property is incomplete which allows any and all animals the freedom to come and go as they please. The gap in the fencing is wide enough that stampeding wildebeasts wouldn't notice any difference from one wide open space to the next. With the pasture barely producing any edible grass and the alfalfa bonanza that exists just a few feet away from the gap on the other side of the property line, you would think that the horses would casually stroll over and make a day of it. Hell, they could take off and never be heard from again. Beyond that field is the forgottens which is hundreds of square miles of fence-free living. But they don't go. They don't even try.
This isn't the first time that the horses have had the option of running free and turned it down. On several occasions a gate was left open and the horses ran free, but took great care not to leave the property and to eat the flower and vegetable garden. The front gate is wide open and there is twenty acres of yummy eating just a trot away but they never venture over to it. They stay and I love them for it. There is nothing worse than chasing an animal down and forcing it back to the property. In some ways it's a terrible feeling to catch an animal and return it to captivity and in other ways it's aggravating to have to disrupt your day to fix a problem caused by your neglect. The glaring reminder that you have responsibilities that you take for granted until you get lazy and you are then forced to work in uncomfortable circumstances to remedy the matter. You almost want to blame the animal for being stupid and you think they did it to you on purpose. Your blood pressure goes up as you think of ways to hurt the animal in retaliation for it's obvious lack of respect for your demands. You get the animal back, you fume for a bit and then it's over. But you never really forgive them. Instead, you work harder to contain them and then something like a breach is made in the fence line and the animals shock you by not moving a muscle to take advantage and you feel like a shit.
Heidi loves to take walks with me and is fond of running from bush to bush, from tree to tree and smelling the other animals that have taken walks here recently. She loves it. After she sniffs each scent, she leaves her own as if she were leaving her own little reply like one would do in a chat room or on a message board. I walk along and I wonder how she could have that much pee in her body. She loves those walks and I would never deny them to her. The only part I don't like is when someone comes along with their evil dog and I have to leash Heidi, something she doesn't understand, so that Heidi and the demon spawn don't fight. Heidi is not a barking dog and she doesn't understand the aggression found in other dogs. She doesn't need to be restrained and she just stares at the other dog in a "I'm a special needs dog" kind of way. The other dog, meanwhile, is just foaming at the mouth, barking and needing to be restrained by their owner. The typical, "She never does this" and "Oh, she doesn't bite, you have nothing to worry about." is thrown out there and I just shake my head and wonder what that owner is thinking. Of course your dog bites. She's being protective of you. She's not on her territory and she's nervous. MY DOG doesn't bite, unless you're covered with raw meat, or cooked meat and that nibble would be incidental.
Territory is a part of every living things' genetic makeup. Plants fight for space and will try to overpower other plants for sunlight, soil and water. Animals need space for food gathering and to feel comfortable. Humans need space because we're animals. Ironically, as much space as human's say they need, they seem to always try to clump together in areas that don't have a lot of space to offer. Sure, I understand the pack mentality and the safety in numbers argument, but you can not complain about not having enough space and then move into an apartment, in a city, surrounded by two million other people. You want space. America is hundreds of thousands of square miles in area, most of it is wide open and free, but the majority of the population is crammed into an area that is under five thousand square miles. How do you mark your territory in such a cramped environment? With a door and a lock. That's it. Your space is the area you can walk from one wall to another. My space is the area I can walk in a day. I can walk out my door, and keep walking for three days and never see another soul. I may have to cross a road or two, maybe a fence, but I am still free of others.
When animals want to create a space for themselves, they pee around the perimeter. They have to do this every other day otherwise other animals will show up and pee first, which is nature's eviction notice. Fish have the luxury of not needing to mark territory because they know that the world is there. Their boundaries are water temperature and salinity. That's it. Polar bears - Feed me, I'm fine. Horses - Until I see a fence. Dogs - Where ever the pack is. Chickens - Chickens have no brain and even they know to stay close to a comfy roost. They get too far away and they don't have the brain to find their way back to it. It's your area and your area can be as big or as small as you want it to be. For humans, I know that their space is only as big as the air seven inches from their body. They have lowered themselves to that level to accommodate their choice. The only time they feel violated is when they are in an elevator and someone is within five inches of their body.
I think humans should mark their territory with pee. I know that the subway system in New York and Chicago smell like they have been marked. It would seem that certain playground equipment in parks has been marked by small children or drug addicts. And it works, people tend to avoid those areas that smell like they have been marked. I think if you pee on a table at a restaurant that no one will want to sit there and the people that are sitting there will undoubtedly leave. If you pee on some seats in a movie theater to save them for your friends, no one is going to ask to sit there. Pee in your car, it won't get stolen. Pee on your favorite clothes, no one will borrow them. Pee on your food and no one will eat it. (or just rub the chocolate on your crotch, that usually works) Pee on someone you want to date and no one will hit on them. It may not win you the girl (or boy) but at least no one else will get them either. I know this sounds like a lot of peeing but if dogs can do it, so can we.
To pee is to be home. The horses didn't leave because this is where they pee and you can only pee where you feel comfortable or safe. A home is where you feel comfortable and safe. To pee is to be home.
This isn't the first time that the horses have had the option of running free and turned it down. On several occasions a gate was left open and the horses ran free, but took great care not to leave the property and to eat the flower and vegetable garden. The front gate is wide open and there is twenty acres of yummy eating just a trot away but they never venture over to it. They stay and I love them for it. There is nothing worse than chasing an animal down and forcing it back to the property. In some ways it's a terrible feeling to catch an animal and return it to captivity and in other ways it's aggravating to have to disrupt your day to fix a problem caused by your neglect. The glaring reminder that you have responsibilities that you take for granted until you get lazy and you are then forced to work in uncomfortable circumstances to remedy the matter. You almost want to blame the animal for being stupid and you think they did it to you on purpose. Your blood pressure goes up as you think of ways to hurt the animal in retaliation for it's obvious lack of respect for your demands. You get the animal back, you fume for a bit and then it's over. But you never really forgive them. Instead, you work harder to contain them and then something like a breach is made in the fence line and the animals shock you by not moving a muscle to take advantage and you feel like a shit.
Heidi loves to take walks with me and is fond of running from bush to bush, from tree to tree and smelling the other animals that have taken walks here recently. She loves it. After she sniffs each scent, she leaves her own as if she were leaving her own little reply like one would do in a chat room or on a message board. I walk along and I wonder how she could have that much pee in her body. She loves those walks and I would never deny them to her. The only part I don't like is when someone comes along with their evil dog and I have to leash Heidi, something she doesn't understand, so that Heidi and the demon spawn don't fight. Heidi is not a barking dog and she doesn't understand the aggression found in other dogs. She doesn't need to be restrained and she just stares at the other dog in a "I'm a special needs dog" kind of way. The other dog, meanwhile, is just foaming at the mouth, barking and needing to be restrained by their owner. The typical, "She never does this" and "Oh, she doesn't bite, you have nothing to worry about." is thrown out there and I just shake my head and wonder what that owner is thinking. Of course your dog bites. She's being protective of you. She's not on her territory and she's nervous. MY DOG doesn't bite, unless you're covered with raw meat, or cooked meat and that nibble would be incidental.
Territory is a part of every living things' genetic makeup. Plants fight for space and will try to overpower other plants for sunlight, soil and water. Animals need space for food gathering and to feel comfortable. Humans need space because we're animals. Ironically, as much space as human's say they need, they seem to always try to clump together in areas that don't have a lot of space to offer. Sure, I understand the pack mentality and the safety in numbers argument, but you can not complain about not having enough space and then move into an apartment, in a city, surrounded by two million other people. You want space. America is hundreds of thousands of square miles in area, most of it is wide open and free, but the majority of the population is crammed into an area that is under five thousand square miles. How do you mark your territory in such a cramped environment? With a door and a lock. That's it. Your space is the area you can walk from one wall to another. My space is the area I can walk in a day. I can walk out my door, and keep walking for three days and never see another soul. I may have to cross a road or two, maybe a fence, but I am still free of others.
When animals want to create a space for themselves, they pee around the perimeter. They have to do this every other day otherwise other animals will show up and pee first, which is nature's eviction notice. Fish have the luxury of not needing to mark territory because they know that the world is there. Their boundaries are water temperature and salinity. That's it. Polar bears - Feed me, I'm fine. Horses - Until I see a fence. Dogs - Where ever the pack is. Chickens - Chickens have no brain and even they know to stay close to a comfy roost. They get too far away and they don't have the brain to find their way back to it. It's your area and your area can be as big or as small as you want it to be. For humans, I know that their space is only as big as the air seven inches from their body. They have lowered themselves to that level to accommodate their choice. The only time they feel violated is when they are in an elevator and someone is within five inches of their body.
I think humans should mark their territory with pee. I know that the subway system in New York and Chicago smell like they have been marked. It would seem that certain playground equipment in parks has been marked by small children or drug addicts. And it works, people tend to avoid those areas that smell like they have been marked. I think if you pee on a table at a restaurant that no one will want to sit there and the people that are sitting there will undoubtedly leave. If you pee on some seats in a movie theater to save them for your friends, no one is going to ask to sit there. Pee in your car, it won't get stolen. Pee on your favorite clothes, no one will borrow them. Pee on your food and no one will eat it. (or just rub the chocolate on your crotch, that usually works) Pee on someone you want to date and no one will hit on them. It may not win you the girl (or boy) but at least no one else will get them either. I know this sounds like a lot of peeing but if dogs can do it, so can we.
To pee is to be home. The horses didn't leave because this is where they pee and you can only pee where you feel comfortable or safe. A home is where you feel comfortable and safe. To pee is to be home.
posted by Daniel Loomis | 9:14 AM
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