Bonedigger
And other short stories
Don’t be fooled, this first story definitely is not about a cuddly canine burying its bone and then digging it up again.
The Blue Tick Coonhound is an American breed of dog bred to hunt raccoons. It was created by mixing the French Grand bleu de Gascogne, the English fox hound, the American fox hound, the cur dog (extinct) and the Black and Tan Virginia fox hound.
The lion is one of the most dangerous animals to inhabit our planet. Known as the king of the jungle they are ferocious predators and kill without mercy. In captivity, their keepers know that a moment’s inattention can be catastrophic or even fatal. Even one swipe of their massive paws could maim a human.
We live In a world of conflict, where it appears to be almost impossible for even humans to live in harmony with each other. In a world where the standard of leadership leaves much to be desired, where disability, gender, race, religion and colour can all create an atmosphere of hostility, it is so wonderful to come across a story like this one.
A lion raised in captivity
Bonedigger is a disabled lion who has been diagnosed with a metabolic bone disease, leaving him slightly disabled with a deformed paw. In the wild, this would have almost certainly led to his premature demise, as hunting and the ability to defend himself would have been severely curtailed. Fortunately, he was raised in captivity by a keeper, John Reinke, who himself is disabled, having lost his own legs in a bungy jumping accident and now relies on prosthetic limbs.
Bonedigger, being a male lion who weighs in at around 500 lbs was introduced to Milo a dachshund weighing in at impressive 11 lbs quite early in the lions life. Along with Milo, there were also Maggie, Abby, Bullet and Angel, and despite warnings that eventually Bonedigger would kill the miniature dachshunds, there has never been a moment where the canines appeared to be in any danger. Milo, in particular, has remained the best of mates with his rather unusual companion. They happily share dinner, although it is fairly obvious that Bonedigger consumes the greater portion. The idea, however, that a fully grown male lion would share his meal with anything almost defies belief. After meals it has been observed that Milo appears to be attempting to clean Bonedigger’s teeth, either that or its the canine version of a French kiss, Another thought is that Milo considers that Bonedigger has exceeded his quantity of their shared dinner and is attempting to recover his share.
After years together, the pair of them are inseparable, and at night, Milo and his mates find their enormous companion to be a very comfortable pillow, and a good night’s sleep is had by all.
A unique relationship
This relationship is believed to be unique between a lion and a dog. A global first. So, what are the dynamics? Why does it work? What can we learn?
Well, I guess first we have to examine the unique factors that have created this extraordinary liaison, despite the obvious fact that it isn’t supposed to work.
There are obvious variations in Bonedigger’s upbringing compared to most lions.
- He was hand-reared
- He is disabled
- His keeper is disabled
- He is in captivity
- The lion and dachshund were introduced to each other when Bonedigger was very young
This combination of circumstances is unique, which probably explains why it hasn’t happened before.
So, if a disabled human hand rears a disabled lion in captivity and introduces a dachshund puppy early on, would the result be the same?
Well, we cannot be even close to 100% certain, and this is unlikely to be replicated any time soon, but it does show that however unlikely this sort of partnership appears, it shows they are able to not just coexist but become inseparable companions.
It needs to be remembered that this is not the first time that two creatures from two species have become the best of friends.
OTHER SHORT STORIES
Bella and Bubbles
The Myrtle Beach Safari Park is the venue for two of the most famous liaisons considered unique.
Bella and her best friend Bubbles the elephant.
Bubbles is an African elephant orphaned by ivory poachers weighing around 4 tons. Bella is a black Labrador Retriever abandoned by the contractor who built the swimming pool for Bubbles. The elephant and retriever dog spend their time together, and a favourite play involved Bubbles using his trunk to throw a ball, prompting Bella to jump off his back, leap into the water and swim to retrieve the ball.
Roscoe and Suryia
Suryia was already a resident at the park when a rather skinny canine followed staff into the park. Our somewhat underweight dog turned out to be a Blue Tick hound. Seeing this sad specimen, Suryia immediately came to greet this stray, and a legend was born. They go swimming together, where Suryia wears her specially designed life jacket, and they go to see Bubbles the elephant, where they copy the antics of Bella and clamber aboard their 4-ton friend.
Two books have been written about this particular liaison:
Myself and normal orang-utans have a shared passion. We both have no desire to immerse our bodies in a large volume of cold water, and we definitely do not go swimming!
Yet again, we see man’s best friend living in complete harmony with other species. How tragic that we humans are unable to follow.
“Animals embody the true essence of friendship, teaching us to love unconditionally without judgement.”
Anon