Scottish oddities

Gylen Castle

Two animal-related stories from Scotland this week:

Did you hear about Oscar, the black labrador in Dunfermline, Fife? He and his owner, Chris Morrison, enjoy walking around a golf course. The other day Morrison heard a disturbing rattling sound coming from the dog. He took him to the veterinarian. Going into the stomach, the vet expected to find one or two golf balls but was stunned to keep finding more and more. Before he was done, 13 balls were removed.

Morrison says Oscar has a habit of bringing golf balls home. "He hunts them down like truffles." But Morrison didn't realize he was also swallowing them.

The dog is now doing fine, only for a some time he'll be wearing a muzzle on his walks. (You can see Oscar here.)

Earlier in the week my friend Sandy, a bird lover, sent me a link to an interesting travel story: on the Isle of Kerrera, off Scotland's west coast, a woman leap-frogged a 30-year waiting list for permission to live on the peaceful island by offering to set up a parrot sanctuary. Moving in to a lobster fisherman's cottage, the woman and her parrots have become a big attraction to photographers who come ashore from the local ferry.

Known as the home of Gylen Castle, built in 1582 by the chief of the MacDougall clan, Kerrera is also an idyllic place for nature lovers. Few cars are on the island, as it's population "soars" to no more than 30 residents. The views from the island are said to be spectacular. And the parrots are, too.

The Toronto Star published an article earlier this week. You can read it here.

Thanks to Ove Topfer for another great photo. You can find his pictures at www.sxc.hu.

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