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Barking Mad

A

Anonymous

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This is not wildly Fortean, but intriguing.

In April I bought a job-lot of four terracotta hand thrown pots at auction. I placed three in an 'artistic' arrangement on the floor and the third on a bookcase in my bedroom.

It was described by the auctioneer as 'having some age' and is certainly unusual, being a very fat jar-shaped jug with an added spout protruding from the side, (rather than made from the rim). It has the traces of a pale yellow glaze on the outside and dark bottle green one in the inside. Something very similar was described as a spouted pitcher on one web-site on Medieval pottery, used for either decanting wine or for alchemy.

I have a lively Jack Russell who paid no attention to the pots on the floor. When he saw the big jug on the bookcase his hackles went up and he barked like mad. I put it on the floor and he circled it, barking and running at it until I had to stop him.

I have subsequently taken it to Norwich Museum to have it identified.

Have any of you had your pet take such a dislike to a seemingly innocent object?
 
Perhaps something about the sight of it on the bookcase unnerved him? (Yes, I know, dogs rely more on scent than sight, but...)

Also, there is no explaining a Jack Russell Terrorist sometimes. :)
 
Yup, Jack Russells are excitable beasts. They don't normally take umbrage at household objects though. There is something weird about that jar.

Wonder why that one was separated from the others? Is it different? Look a little more special or valuable?

Here's a typical snap of my own Jackie Russ. See if you can guess what she's doing. :rolleyes:
 
escargot said:
Here's a typical snap of my own Jackie Russ. See if you can guess what she's doing. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

If she's like mine she'll be barking at, and chasing, con-trails! Head up, not looking where's she's going and determined to KILL! <G>

Any chance of a pic of the pot?
 
If she's like mine she'll be barking at, and chasing, con-trails!
Click to expand...

There you go ... and con- or should I say CHEM-trails are a bona fide fortean phenomenon too ...... :)

You could probably use Jack Russells to actively dowse for the strange.

Maybe the pot smells? Even if not especially smelly to you it might be to the yapping rat-dog ;) .
Perhaps it was the proverbial "pot to piss in" heh heh.

Of course, in Valis by Phillip K. Dick, god resides in a pot for a while.

So there's my opinion : it's probably either god or piss.
 
pxxs pots and such

Yes, Escargot, the pot was on the shelf because it is made from very heavy-duty terracotta with many fragments in the clay. This, and the traces of glaze indicated it was old, anything from late Medieval to 17th Century. The auctioneer was certainly interested in it. The other pots were all modern hand-made replicas of Medieval pots. Obviously someone had an interest, perhaps in a re-enactment society?

Now there are some BRAINS out there!

It was also covered in drips of a very resinous substance, sticky to the touch. I bet you the dog was picking up on that, as you have suggested.

Less exciting than an evil alchemist's pitcher, but more realistic.

Glad to hear my Jack Russell is true to type and not the nutbar I thought he was!
 
Yup, mad, that's what they are.

Perhaps yours was barking at the object because he could tell it was pottier than he is. ;)

You could ask a psychic person to hold the pot, see if they get any vibes. It's scaring me already!

Are you going to photograph it?

Kizzy was chasing a squirrel recently and actually ran up a tree after it. :rolleyes:
 
Potty story

Escargot, Hi!

The pitcher has been in Norwich Museum since April, being investigated.

If it turns out to be old and interesting, I will try and get someone to 'commune' with it. Great idea of yours.

To be continued.......
 
Can't wait for picture, report, visit by Derek Acorah etc..........;)

I can feel.... feel....something... in the residual........feels like.....biting.....biting.....a dog, biting..........biting me on the...........OW OW OW gerroff you little................
 
Stop it, stop it! LOL!

Escargot, you and I are going to get thrown off these Boards for lowering the tone.

(By the way, since someone suggested my pitcher was a 'guzunder' it's lost all it's mystique).
 
dawgs

My non-yappy, non-terrier collie-esque mongrel bitch has had similar odd reactions to alien objects. Never barking - but just not unwillingness to approach and general trepidation.

The freakiest thing of all is her tendancy to track objects with her eyes with interest - which aren't there! I've often found her looking with interest at a space around head height, occupied by nothing at all, and sometimes following the imaginery firgure as it travells around the room. I've checked many times for flies, floating debris and all the obvious - to no avail. There's one particular corner of my girlfriend's old bedroom at her parent's house where she often used to be found alone, watching with great interest and raised ears someone who simply wasn't there...

One theory I have formulated is that she is listening to sounds going on outside the house - this particular one is an end terrace with three external walls in Bradford - with plenty noisy things going outside!

I imagine there will be a few other pooches out there who share this vice - any embarased owners want to come forward and own up on the behalf of their posessed pets?
 
We often have 'psychic animals' described on here. Lots of dogs seem to listen carefully to fascinating sounds, inaudible to us. They also seem to respond to commands from or perform tricks for invisible people.

Jack Russells aren't psychic, of course- they are just maaaad. :p ;)
 
I remember one Christmas Eve when I was little my dog (a golden retriever) and what sounded like all the other dogs on the street started barking like crazy. Of course being a little kid I assumed it was Santa Clause!:D Now I have to wonder what it really was.
 
RainyOcean said:
I remember one Christmas Eve when I was little my dog (a golden retriever) and what sounded like all the other dogs on the street started barking like crazy. Of course being a little kid I assumed it was Santa Clause!:D Now I have to wonder what it really was.
Click to expand...

Check out this thread. :D
 
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