Category Archives: Animals

Tear Drop Trailer Bird Feeder

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I’ve always wanted to build a Tear Drop Trailer for camping. So when I saw a mini tear drop seed feeder on the web, I decided to make a similar seed feeder for the yard.

The one on the web was more of a thistle seed feeder and I wanted to use larger seed to attract White Crowns, Dark-eyed Juncos and Finches. I think that the Finches and Juncos will go inside to get the seed, but the White Crowns are too large.

I thought that I would completely open the two sides to hold the seed. I began with the side layout on scrap plywood. The finished feeder will be about 7″ x 5″ x 5″ in size.

I used a hand coping saw to make the curved cuts.

Here is the layout for the base, with trailer hitch included.

Once everything was cutout, I glued and screwed the two sides to the base.

I used heavy gauge paper to make a template prior to cutting the rolled aluminum, which I fitted to the cured side pieces. Once positioned, I began screwing it in place.

I lightly stained the plywood and added side details and silver paint on the frame.

I bought a toy truck for $3.00 and removed the wheels. I simply cut the truck axle in half, drilled a small hole in the wooden frame and pushed each wheel into position.

Here is the trailer with seed inside. I put a piece of aluminum foil inside the trailer and tossed in a handful of seed. I also put some on the ground to entice my first avian visitors.

It won’t be long and all that seed will be gone. Those snowbirds will be Happy Campers!

Earlingo – The Animal Assisted Therapy Headband

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About a year ago, I took an online class on how to certify your dog as an Animal Assisted Therapy pet.

I have a very gentle Chihuahua mix and thought she would be a good candidate to go into senior homes or hospitals to cheer folks up a bit.

So I signed up for the class. The class was very informative, but unfortunately my pup was too old. Your dog must be 7 years old or less to become certified.

This got me thinking about training my dog in a special way. A way that facilities would want her to come in, certified or not. She had to have a skill. Something other dogs could not do, and would be interactive for the person.

In college, I did a paper on “Signaling Behavior Among Wolves.” I’ve had an interest in animal communication (Cuttlefish Comm Board) for many years. In 2016, I had a very interesting experience at the San Diego Zoo (Dee Meets The Maned Wolf). These two experiences gave me a unique idea.

Develop a headband (I call it an Earlingo Headband) with controllable dog-shaped ears on it that the user can control and interact with the therapy dog. Even if the person was not able to control the ears, I could wear the headband, move the ears, and interact with the dog while they watch.

The concept is that the dog will perform different movements (sit, stay, lay down, etc.) based upon the headband ear movements – visual communication only. Of course, I’d train my dog using operant conditioning prior to any visits. With positive reinforcement, she would learn to associate an ear movement with a particular behavior.

I will use servo motors along with an Arduino Kit, as mentioned in my Cuttlefish Comm Board post, to make the ears move.

I really think that this might bring a smile to someone’s face!