Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: Pets and Animals

My experience in Minas Gerais is that everyone has a dog! The love of outdoor places and animals here is widespread. People really enjoy having their pets to get outside or to enjoy in their country homes. It has been really nice for me that there are so many pets because when the conversation gets too fast or I can't understand Portuguese anymore, I generally attract the dogs to pet while observing the conversation rather than participating in it. Plus animals really seem to like me - likely because I have been giving them so much attention and smell like a ton of other dogs.
This is a French Bulldog, my new favourite kind of dog, from my first dinner party in Brazil.
This is Coco, Carol and Lucas' old dog who limps everywhere contently.
This is Gigi's brother's pet monkey! Last Sunday we went to Roni's country home to have some afternoon tea and pao de queso and to meet his pets.
I particularly liked his two pet tucans. Tucans are native to Brazil though I haven't seen any in the wild. I don't think I have even seen a Tucan in real life before this visit. Normally he lets the Tucans fly free during the day in the neighbourhood and then they come home to sleep. He kept the birds in for me the day we visited.

Roni used to have two pet Macaws that he also let fly freely, but apparently they flew too far one day and were likely trapped by poachers to be sold at market again. That was a sad story. You would think it would be safer to keep these birds caged, but even on Roni's property there is so much room for them to fly and enjoy the tree fruits (there are 54 different fruit trees at his home) that the birds wouldn't otherwise be able to enjoy.
On our way into the condominio where Roni lives on weekends, I saw these weird animals in one of the lakes and on the shore. None of them were moving so I thought that they were some artistic statue feature for local residents. However at Roni's he showed me pictures of these animals and I said I saw them and thought they were statues!! He laughed, so on the way back we found them again, and their collection of offspring, so I was able to take a picture.

All dogs are great but this one was hilarious. His name in Portugues means Smiley, because as you can see he is smiling constantly when he is happy. Basically as soon as his tail starts wagging, the teeth come out.

I also have two dogs at the house where I am staying, Jaco and Juca, and will add a photo of them later. Jaco is very hyperactive and can jump like he has springs in his hind legs - though he is good friends with the sick cat Nene that weezes all the time and you'll often find them playing together or sleeping side by side. Juca is fat and more calm likely because he is epileptic and takes medication daily.

Pets: Love them or....?

The past month of my life has been dedicated to pet sitting while my parents travel abroad. The pets I have been caring for are a 9-month-old Great Dane and a 10-year-old Meyer's Parrot. All animals have their own particularities and these ones definitely have some big personalities. Here are some of the idiosyncrasies of these pets.

Odin

Odin decided when my parents left that he no longer wanted to drink his water. Instead, he decided it was more fun to eat snow to get his daily water intake which means that in addition to whining when he wanted to go out to pee, he also started to whine to eat snow, and play, and eat sod. Well apparently eating snow and ice is not good for a puppy's stomach, and so Odin got really sick one night where I had to let him out every hour on the hour to go to the washroom. We were both very tired the next day.

Once Odin was finally on medication for his stomach and eating and drinking properly, I thought we were on the right track. I thought we were buddies again. Then he decided to eat a plastic bag! It's impressive to say the least at how quickly a dog can swallow something whole when they know that you don't want them to have what they have found.

I have felt some days that my only responsibility is to keep Odin alive and fed and that he is working as hard as he can to make this task challenging. I have had a number of headaches at his expense.

But, Odin is also fairly mild tempered. When I walk him enough and we play at least once a day he is very calm at night which gives me a break. He is good company, but at the same time I have found myself talking to him like a person since it is only he, I and the bird in the house. I wonder how much he understands or if I just look like a fool.

Puddles

Puddles is another story. Puddles earned his name because his feathers are grey like a puddle. His coloured feathers have developed as he has aged. Puddles and I have never really gotten along since I haven't lived at home for most of the time he has been a part of the family, but this time around being the only person here to feed him, cuddle him and let him out, we have become closer.

My biggest problem with Puddles is that I cannot do anything in the kitchen without him getting involved. If I put out a mixing bowl for any reason he is either going to be in it or try and tip it over. It is quite impressive but at the same time very annoying. So I have had to start setting up decoy bowls for him to play with or bathe in while I try and cook. If he still pesters me, then I have to take the risk of being bitten while I put him in his cage.

Puddles also likes hiding in nooks and under covers so that he can feel protected which is funny to watch.

The best part about Puddles is how brave he is for such a tiny bird. Puddles feels like he is master over Odin. This means that Puddles sometimes chooses to tempt Odin by walking right in front of his nose. The two of them do a little dance, Odin wagging his tale and Puddles lashing out with hisses and bites. They do this usually until Odin gets hurt. A few days ago Puddles started riding Odin like a horse. He jumps onto the dogs behind, digs his claws into his back and tries to hold on for dear life. The dog does not like this game.

One particularly stand-offish moment was when Puddles climbed into Odin's food bowl. Odin knows only a few things in this house are his, and the bird was in one of his favourite. That time I did decide to intervene for fear the dog would in a lapse of judgement try and nibble on the bird.