So...where is Dobby?

Dobbye the Capybara

has moved to

www.petcapybara.com

Where's Dobby?

I've been sneaking around since I was born.

 In this photo, I'm with my baby brothers and sisters. 

Can you guess which one is me? 

I was the littlest.

 When I first came to live with Stacy I lived in her bathtub. 

I'm sitting in my potty bowl here.

 Waffle boxes make nice bedrooms, when you are tiny.

 I loved to hide under this shelf!

 I always felt safe around my white rabbit rug. 

I'm smaller than a rabbit head!

 Peek-a-boo!

 When I was little I could explore the kitchen, but not the living room. 

I could see it, though!

 Eventually I outgrew the waffle box.

 It got harder for me to get under the shelf, too.

 When I got my outside Big Boy bed, I could walk right under it.

 Look where I am now! The DUCK pond! 

Their water has lots of flavor! I can get clean in here!

Chickens and capybaras aren't really allowed in the rabbit pen, 

but here we are!

 

I like to hide in my swimming pool.

 Sometimes my swimming pool hides from me!

I used to hide under this tarp, before it got eaten.

 Crossing The River Dobby in the front yard!

When I am frightened in the front yard, 

I go hide behind this shed, 

way around the corner.

 

 Until I was about 5 months old, I slept right here, 

with my rabbit rug, next to Stacy's bed. 

The rabbit head is a lot smaller, now!

 

 I'm still small enough to hide under my rabbit, though.

 There are a lot of "Not For Dobbys" in the living room.

 

This is the bathtub I lived in when I was a baby!

 It is hard to get under my shelf, even when it has been raised a few notches!

 

Guess where I am in this picture? This is Helen's corner! 

Those are the cookbooks she eats! 

I'm a little bit grubby, so I have linoleum floors and 

walls to keep the splashing contained.

Dobby Words

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It’s not so much that I have tried to teach Dobby English, but he has a working comprehension of many words and phrases I use daily. The obvious words to learn are food-related:

• Milk
• Corn
• Apple
• Potato
• Raisin
• Bamboo
• Grass

Dobby has also learned some names:

• Dick
• Becky
• Sam

He has also learned to differentiate between a Visitor and a Neighbor. He knows that visitors expect him to show off, do a little Doofus Dance. Neighbors just make strange and sudden off-site noises and are to be ignored.

Dobby also knows about his co-pets:

• Norman (the goose and flock manager)
• Ducks
• Chicken
• Kitty
• Rabbit

Dobby is learning some tricks, which include:

• Sit
• Stand up
• Turn around
• Lie down
• Come here

Unfortunately, he prefers to do the trick first, and then have me guess which one he did!

Dobby is also learning the parts of his body:

• Nose
• Morrillo
• Eyeball
• Ears
• Feet

This was very useful when the Veterinarian had to examine his eye, and later when I had to put ointment in every day. When I would tell him I had medicine for his eyeball, he would sit quietly and let me put goop in his eye!

Finally, there are some activities and places he understands:

• Kitchen
• Aviary
• Front Yard
• Swimming
• Don’t Let the Chickens Out! - This one when he’s going through aviary gates
• Careful! - Opening gates near his feet, going down stairs
• Up the Ramp! - Training him to use a ramp to get in and out of the car

Dobby has taught me to communicate, capybara-style, too! He taught me to tip my head to point at things, or point with my head to tell him to come. He wiggles his ears to approve and head butts me to make me stop dead in my tracks! He motions with his mouth to tell me he wants something, and makes a low cluck for approval. He squeaks with anticipation and keeps up a conversation with his purrs. He barks to alert me to danger. It’s his Doofus Dance that tells the biggest story, though. He twirls and spins and runs back and forth, then spins again, and I know he’s a happy capy!

What I Put Up With

My life isn't a bowl of cherries, you know.

 

Look at that snow outside the window. Pure misery.

Then there are all these COMPLETE STRANGERS who come around and want my attention. This is my sister, Becky.

Sometimes I have to peek into windows just to get some attention.

You see, no cherries.

There's a rabbit. She's on the PROPER side of this wall, and I'm sure all the good stuff is on that side.

Helen looks so innocent.

She gets to eat the fringe off that rug.

The worst part is that she gets to invade my territory at night when I'm asleep.

If she had some respect for my wallpaper, I would be happier.

Plus, there's something about her attitude I just don't approve of.

These jokers show proper respect.

Even little Spike knows his place. Birds are okay with me.

The Dude Ranch has moved out of my territory. I pretend they don't exist and we're pretty happy with the new arrangement.

For a while I had to put up with baby birds.

Baby birds grow up into chickens sometimes, and that's what those did. We're best friends, now.

 

Sometimes I go into their yard, sometimes they come out into mine. Sometimes I have to sit by the gate to make sure they get to stay out and play with me.

But then to thank me, they just steal my corn.

This is one of my duck friends. He shows proper respect.

These are more duck friends. They are so respectful it's almost as if they're afraid of me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cat situation is getting out of control. Now there are two, but tomcats can't reproduce so I'm not sure where they're coming from. They're fun to chase, though.

Wiley Wabbit, the gray one, minds his own business, but Bonnie is very disrespectful. She gets up ONTO MY BED!

Skippy and his freeloader friend Mr. Crow are only interested in peanuts. Like we are some major neighborhood charity organization.

Then there is the occasional workman, but the usually end up being Visitors.

It is an arduous journey to the front yard, where the grass is always greener. I have to beg to go out there.

The front yard is not without its peril. In this photo I am scared to move because I am nearly crippled by my harness. You can see clearly that my leg is through THE WRONG HOLE. I was about to call 911 but then I decided to eat that corn, instead.

Ah, yes. The photos. What is it with all the photography around here? Am I a supermodel? A rock star? An Olympic athlete? Possibly a stunt double for James Bond. I'm actually walking up stairs in this photo. BFD.

And then there is the larger issue of my swimming pool. WHERE DID IT GO? I have to have my slave girl pour pitchers of warm water over me if I want a bath. It's not an ideal situation. I only have three wading pools.

I'm asking you- doesn't it look like there is something missing here? Like maybe a SWIMMING POOL?

No, this is NOT a swimming pool. It is a horse trough with fish in it. I present this photo as proof that they are torturing me here. Someone actually expected me to get in the pool to get that corn floating out there. FAT CHANCE OF THAT.

Yes, this is the biggest insult of all. AND I'M NOT GOING IN THERE!