Cyril the Squirrel - I

Can animals be trained? What a dumb question, you ask. How about those orcas at SeaWorld that are trained to do the most amazing acts? How about legendary flea circuses? And everything in between?

Yes, of course, animals can be trained. And it’s easy. Read my story.

Outside my study is the deck and a beautiful dogwood at its edge. As I look out my window, I have a few strategically placed bird feeders on the dogwood. Plenty of birds come to those feeders – a woodpecker couple, sparrows, sunbirds, blue jays and cardinals. Many more that I can’t name. And squirrels.

The one I call Cyril (not a very original name, I admit) runs up and down the dogwood, the railings of the deck are his playground. He thinks the bird feeders are for him and tries to get at the suet block inside. He hangs precariously, his hind legs holding onto the nearest branch, spread-eagled in air to snuffle through bars of the bird feeder and dig out morsels.

Then he figured out how to open the clasps of the feeder, so that the suet block falls down and its happy pickings for Cyril and his lady.

When the feeder is empty and the suet block all gone, he jumps onto the handrail of the deck and then onto my window sill. He’ll jump around on the narrow sill a couple of times.

‘Hi, Cyril,’ I call out. Then with a piece of bread in my hand, I step onto the deck. ‘Come on, Cyril,” I say loudly and proceed to break the bread into bits and spread them on the handrail. Cyril waits till I am back indoors and gets to the bread.

Cyril the Breadaholic

Once I took some squishy blueberries and spread them on the handrail. Nope. Cyril was not pleased. He didn’t touch them. Okay, I thought, he’s a bread-aholic. Like me. Somehow, that pleased me.

Lately, he jumps on my windowsill and puts his paws on the window and peers at me. I feel so special. So honored. I promptly go and break bits of bread for him.

Who says you can’t train animals? Cyril’s trained me!