bobby jude

I know there is an election going on right now. But just in case there is a wee chance you are tired of hearing about Obama and McCain...meet Bobby Jude. Here is his story, as told to me by my good friends and owners Dan and Leslie Harper.

And here also is their brilliant son Joel who immortalized Bobby Jude in a set of animal notecards you can buy from his school,
Ambleside, in Fredericksburg, Texas.

"Bobby Jude was born on Sept. 20, 2007; he came to the Harper abode on Sept. 21, 2007. He was a passive guy. A little puff ball not even identifiable as a massive, powerful rooster. He was easily handled and picked up and ready to eat treats from any hand.


When Nana came to town, she said, that is your rooster. See his big feet? They did not look that much bigger then, but boy did he grow. He was majestic. Huge. Beautiful like a living rainbow with bright red and shiny greens. He started to crow.


One day, after about 7 months, Bobby Jude realized he was a boy and that he had his own job to further his race. He began to use his size and power to control his harem of girls, but he was still really nice to people. You could just pick him up and carry him around like a giant feathered baby. He had lots of red blobby things that jiggled all around his beak.


Then Bobby Jude had a testosterone overload. He began to believe everyone under four feet was a rooster and that they needed domineering. All the young humans began walking about the yard, with plastic bats, golf clubs, light sabers and assorted sticks to guard against any attacks.

This continued for several weeks, with increased apprehension on the part of the mother, as young children would jump out of their vans and suburbans to hug chickens and be assaulted on playdate and kid drop off again and again. (My favorite was when he stole a sandwich bag with sandwich from a kid's hand and ran off.)


Then Bobby Jude began to terrorize the young human that lived at his abode. Meredith became public enemy number one to this guy, and she could not remember to carry a stick (which is not really a responsibility she should have anyway...). Out of nowhere, he attacked her and gave her a big, black eye when she was sitting in a chair doling out dry crusts to the girls.


Bobby Jude began his next day in a guinea pig hutch as the humans determined what to do.



Some shouted, "Shoot!"



Others said, "Eat!"

Some said, "Get rid of Meredith!"


The plight of Bobby Jude was shared with those in the egg and feather community. A home was found! Bobby Jude left in a cat carrier for a farm in Loyal Valley where somehow the resident rooster had been lost and another was required. We hear he is quite happy, and still lovable. More pet-like than evil rooster.


His legacy is great. Now one of the hens tries to copy him. Meredith and mom just hit her and tell her to get off the other girls (creepy huh?) We miss Bobby Jude. He just needed dominance in a fenced enclosure with no midget humans."