Petsit at Chook Mahal

Another day, another very wacky petsit.

The large, open house layout in lovely tropical fruit gardens has all modcons, including indecipherable microwave buttons requesting information for IT chefs. For some reason, when the dogs bark the monster fridge lights up!

Our team of pets consists of three dogs, two cats, an aquarium of tropical fish, ten chooks and three ducks.

Mindy is a fluffball, licker cutie, Pomeranian type; Benjie the French pug loves his food and squeaker; while Lacey, a Border Collie, is a football ace. All three dogs get on so well together, love cuddles and games.

The dogs and cats dine inside the house on a la carte courses of mince, chicken necks, eggs, dry biscuits and snacks. Tin from this morning for dinner? Not over my dead body!

When we asked where the dogs would sleep, there was a pregnant silence and then a smiling response from the owner: "in your bed". Gen drew the short straw. By the time two humans and three dogs were in the bed, one of us had to go! Lacey briefly touched base on the bed, then migrated to the floor; Benjie waddled into bed and snuggled up for hours; Mindy jumped on and off the bed like a yoyo all night before grabbing Gen's clothes and dragging them under the bed where she chewed holes in them. Robert slept peacefully in the bus while inside the house, the dogs partied with Gen through the night.

The final instructions by the owner take place in Chook Mahal, the poultry residence. Immediately we spot one chook is clearly crook from heart, breathing or old age problems; sadly she dies later in the day. We lay her to rest, plastic-wrapped in the bin.

Days before, two female chicks suddenly started crowing and fighting to reveal Donna was Don and Rhonda was Ron. Before the imposters were ejected, they successfully beat up the alpha hen and poked her in the eye, so now she is like Admiral Nelson after the Battle of Trafalgar.



Three ducks on loan include one feisty female sitting on an egg, possibly switched with a golf ball, and wildly pecking at any fowl or human that comes within a stretched neck and beak's length.

The owner instructs us to defend Chook Mahal against large goannas which sneak in to steal eggs, and even larger bush pythons after a chook dinner or two.

One of the chooks is a bantam which runs out of egg power and lays a tiny thumb-size egg.



Mindy the Pomeranian is obsessed with the bus. As soon as the door opens, she jumps inside, straight onto the front. When one of the cats tried to climb in, she promptly attacked him and kicked him out. This is MY bus!!

Doggos clamber into Hughie where they take over with Benjie as the bus driver, Mindy the co-driver, and Lacey the navigator!

We pick dragon fruit in the garden which is filled with all sorts of fruit trees, including limes and mangoes. Tropical bugs of all sizes and colours lurk in the lush gardens.

During the stay, a fun lunch was also had in town at our French friend Lili's house, with its cleverly planted, freshwater swimming pond converted from a swimming pool. Great way to spend a rainy day during the Wet!

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Housesitting, Redlynch, Cairns, FNQ, Dogs, Chooks, Chickens