Homeless in Vancouver: A dog’s breakfast and a geese piece—an urban critter update

All dogs may go to heaven but unless they’re service dogs they may not go into McDonald’s (which, I have no doubt, smells like heaven to a dog).

From my window seat in a McDonald’s restaurant last Thursday (April 13) I saw and photographed the latest in a long line of pooches forced to patiently wait outside while their owners take time to grab some fast food.

Using precedent as my guide, I would say, however, that it was unlikely anything was being grabbed for Fido here, which is a real shame.

I mean, If all that stuff about being man’s best friend really was true then you’d think that “the Man” would at least throw his (or her) BFF a succulent sausage patty but no—”a dog’s breakfast" is rarely on the menu at McD’s.

A Canada goose may be missing his missus

In other news about sitting and standing animals, on my way to breakfast that day I witnessed a somewhat singular sight: one lone Canada goose standing quietly atop the Staples building on the alley side of the 1300 block of West Broadway.

I say singular because quiet and alone are two qualities which I do not normally associate with these gregarious and social birds.

Canada geese mate for life and—having done so—they become virtually inseparable companions.

Once joined, a pair of Canadas rarely seem to let each other out of their sight, or out of earshot, for that matter—they always seem to have so much to say to each other.

My friend the Green Guy, who endearingly believes that he can tell Fairview’s Canada geese apart, is confident that I needn’t worry; that the goose certainly isn’t worried.

His pretensions of being a goose whisperer aside, the Green Guy makes a good point.

This is the time of year when one of the geese is wont to go off and lay some eggs. This would naturally leave her partner to forage alone for a time for the pair of them.

Perhaps by July, I’ll see this couple of Canada geese back together again and with the bonus of a couple of fuzzy little goslings to boot!