Enslaved by Ducks

If you have ever been owned by a pet you will be able to appreciate the inadequacy felt by Bob Tarte. Having never been an animal person, Bob holds up fairly well as first his wife and later anyone and everyone deposits bunny after duck after parrot into his life. Though at times painful, he evolves into a do-it-yourself zookeeper and fence builder, and ultimately an animal lover. Bob Tarte invites us to laugh with him and even at him as he stumbles along the minefield of pet care.

Bob Tarte is a laugh-out-loud writer with a gift for drawing the reader into the circus of his life. His wit and word play made this a refreshing and enjoyable read. He neither omits the inevitable loss that comes with the joy of pets nor sink into the fluffy show more saccharine sweetness that so often fills books about animals. With sarcasm and irony you will be drawn into the lives of 2 humans and the 5 rabbits, 3 parrots, 2 doves, 2 canaries, 4 parakeets, 1 starling, 2 cats, 14 ducks, 2 geese and 4 turkeys that control them along the way. show less

Even though I'm more of a dog person, I enjoyed this book about a couple and their many pets, mostly birds. I like true animal stories, especially when the author actually is a writer and not just a pet owner who has an interesting story. Bob Tarte anthropomorphizes each duck, turkey, parrot, etc. with affection and dry wit. Several times, I had to stop and read passages aloud my husband. I never knew birds had so much personality. I did know that about rabbits, and the chapters about the Tartes' pet rabbits made me nostalgic for my old attack bunny, Picolino.
This book came highly recommended by a friend and it was worthy of the praise.

Bob lived a pet-free life for a long time. But when his wife decided they needed to save a rabbit (though they had no idea how to take care of one), this snowballed over the following years, so that (over time), they had a number of rabbits, cats, and many types of birds (parrots, parakeets, a canary, a dove, geese, turkeys, a number of different species of duck, and more). The geese, turkeys, and ducks lived outside in the barn and yard. They had a hard time saying no if there was a critter in need. Bob was not a handy guy, but was constantly building new fencing and other spaces to keep the critters in the yard, but to separate many of them, as well.

I really liked this. They muddled their way through taking care of many of them, as show more did the various vets they sought help from when there was a medical need. Most of the vets hadn’t dealt with many of these types of critters, either. There was plenty of humour in the book, but as some of the pets got sick and died (or got better), and some went missing, there were sad situations, as well. It was unfortunate that they didn’t research before bringing home the different types of pets, though, to know ahead of time what they were getting into. show less

I bought this book for my father-in-law two Christmases ago. He is a husband, a step-father, a step-granddad. His step kids, both adults, live with him and his wife from time to time depending on what's going on in their lives. I believe his step-son's girlfriend and her/his baby live with them half-time but the grandbaby is there most of the time. Their house is surrounded by dogs and cats and other critters that wander onto their property from time to time. When my husband was young they had goats and horses and dogs and cats and a bevy of other animals.

About the book: When Bob Tarte bought a house in rural Michigan, he was counting on a tranquil haven. Then Bob married Linda. She wanted a rabbit, which seemed innocuous enough until show more the bunny chewed through their electrical wiring. And that was just the beginning. Before long, Bob found himself constructing cages, buying feed, clearing duck waste, and spoon-feeding a menagerie of furry and feathery residents. His life of quiet serenity vanished, and he unwittingly became a servant to a relentlessly demanding family. "They dumbfounded him, controlled and teased him, took their share of his flesh, stole his heart" (Kirkus Reviews).

Whether commiserating with Bob over the fate of those who are slaves to their animals or regarding his story as a cautionary tale about the rigors of animal ownership, readers on both sides of the fence have found Tarte's story of his chaotic squawking household irresistible--and irresistibly funny.

This book made me laugh out loud, cry, laugh some more and helped me adopt two kittens after my Felix died. It's such a wonderful book and written so well and pleasantly. Bob is hilarious and his wife is a hoot. They are somehow magnets for animals that dislike their humans. But the book is such a riot that any animal lover, pet owner, enslaved by an animal should read this book. show less

The title of this book definitely made me buy it and, thankfully, the story inside fit the expectations. The author recounts his life after he moves away from the bustling city to placid (so he thinks) rural living and the eventual burgeoning family of animal pets galore.

I'm sure some readers will get upset by the seemingly random way that pets are adopted or given back, but the story is well told and for me, anyway, rather humorous.

Certainly I felt some kinship with the author. Hummingbirds dictate my weekend wake-up times when their nectar needs replenishing. Blue jays will not hesitate to sound off when the peanuts are not up to their idea of valued weight, and the raccoons have a tendency to forget their job duties of eating snails show more and slugs when they fancy a taste of marshmallows.

How we interact with the wildlife we share the land with says much of who we are, I suppose. I refuse to believe I am "enslaved". More like, rented.

Book Season = Spring (before you think of adopting bunnies) show less

from the Wild Thing bookbox, mostly hilarious and sometimes sobering read. The author and his wife start with a bunny…and then the pets multiply…and multiply. There's actually a list of them at the front of the book, which I had to reference from time to time (who exactly was Howard again??). Birds of varying species were hand fed and let out to roam the house, bunnies had their own area and play time, ducks and geese had a custom divided pen - and supervised backyard play time. The anecdotes and self-deprecating humor was hilarious, but at the same time I just thanked my stars that this couple wasn't living next to ME!

There is one thing you cannot always predict, and that’s the nature and character of the animals you choose as pets. This is a somewhat humorous memoir of the author and his wife's experience in learning and establishing pet care routines, crazy rituals, and the feeding preferences of an assortment of pets: rabbits, an assortment of birds, geese, and ducks, turkeys, all on THEIR terms.

It started with a purchase of an unruly rabbit, and before they knew it, they had pretty much turned their home and property into a rescue home for wayward, orphaned critters when they became too much for other people to handle. I would have to say they were enslaved by more than just ducks. It read like a house full of pure chaos, and I can't even show more imagine the cost, the filth and the stench from all these birds and rabbits indoors, but I sure do admire their tenacity for sticking to it even through all the rough times. show less