And it’s the dumb dog’s fault:

A kangaroo slashed an Australia man’s abdomen and face as he tried to stop the bouncing beast from drowning his dog. Chris Rickard, 49, said he was walking his blue heeler Rocky on Sunday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo in Arthur’s Creek, north east of Melbourne. The dog chased the animal into a pond, but it then turned and pinned the pet underwater. “I thought I might take a hit or two dragging the dog out from under his grip, but I didn’t expect him to actually attack me,” Mr Rickard told The Herald Sun newspaper.

Why did the human fail to see that the fight had nothing to do with him? He should have been neutral. The dog started it; the kangaroo wanted to end it. This was between the dog and the kangaroo.

Charles Mudede—who writes about film, books, music, and his life in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, the USA, and the UK for The Stranger—was born near a steel plant in Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe. He has no memory...

33 replies on “Kangaroo Teaches Australian Man a Lesson”

  2. It was between HIS dog and a kangaroo. If it were a fight with another kangaroo you’d be right. But, as a domestic animal, dogs (and by reasonable extension) the actions of dogs, are the responsibility of humans. Especially if it’s your friggin’ dog.

  6. What? Kangaroos drown dogs? Was the kangaroo going to eat the dog, or just defending itself? There is much that I do not know about kangaroos…

  11. @3, simple: If a story is anti-dog (or anti-animal compassion), SLOG will jump on it. It’s called baiting the trolls–or, in marketing parlance, padding the hit count. Web-based advertising rates are often set according to traffic, hence the troll-baiting. Charles is especially targeting dog stories because he’s been accused of, variously:
    hating dogs
    hating people who treat dogs with any love or care
    missing a part of his soul, normally occupied by a normal and healthy affection for companion animals*
    For example, the more we point out Dan’s irrationality for hating pit bulls and citing anecdotal evidence as “proof” of their nature, the more anti-pit bull stories he posts.

    * That accusation was mine, btw, and I stand by it: When one has overintellectualized him or herself to such an extent that they can no longer find joy in the company of an animal, they’ve lost something essential.

  13. @11) the truth? i was attracted to the story because of the kangaroo. i had no idea a dog was involved until i read it. i had no idea kangaroos were violent until i read the headline. and anyone who knows me knows that i am obsessed with the movie kangaroo jack.

  14. yeah, man & dog have been teaming up for 50K years. the dog would sacrifice himself to save the man, so the man must sacrifice himself to save the dog.

  15. so charles, i guess if the kangaroo attacked your mom, it would be between your mom and the kangaroo and you wouldn’t get involved. right?

  18. @8 – I’d say not. Around 5% of Australians own guns (undoubtedly primarily in rural areas) compared to around 25% of Americans.

    I lived in Aus for 16 years if my life and was surprised to find out that guns aren’t technically illegal there. I’d only ever seen them on the belts of police.

    As such, you’re much less likely to open the paper on any given morning in Aus and find yourself reading about homicides 😛

  19. Seriously Charlies? With your documented record of killing pets, I thought you’d be a little more careful about the topic.

    I’m sure there’s some philosophical high ground you’re on here that I just don’t see – but you should know that for most much-less educated people, it’s difficult to watch pets struggle and die.

  20. @ Charles: “no idea kangaroos were violent”
    From the article: “…but I didn’t expect him to actually attack me”
    If they were typically violent, he would have expected it.

    Kangaroos are, for the record, typically placid animals. Take as an example, the kangaroos at Anglesea golf course in Victoria: http://www.angleseaaccomodation.com.au/d… … http://web.arch.usyd.edu.au/~densil/ISRA…

    “Kangaroos are shy and retiring by nature, and in normal circumstances present no threat to humans… There are very few records of kangaroos attacking humans without provocation …The only reliably documented case of a fatality from a kangaroo attack occurred in New South Wales, in 1936. A hunter was killed when he tried to rescue his two dogs from a heated fray .” “In 2003, Lulu, an Eastern Grey [Kangaroo], saved a farmer’s life by alerting family members to his location when he was injured by a falling treebranch.”

  23. @22: I don’t have a specific answer to give you… my brain just thinks things need an emoticon, sometimes. I guess I like to think it changes the tone? Makes it more of a light, “hey, I’m just sayin'” sort of statement?

  26. @13 – Most ANY animal can inflict terrible violence upon anyone or anything if it is frightened, threatened, or conditioned to do so. Animals don’t have the filter of consciousness preventing themselves from using every iota of strength that they have, even at significant risk of self-damage. That said, I completely believe your explanation–kangaroos are strange and wonderful.

    I nearly always enjoy your posts because you’re maybe the only SLOGger who can be relied upon to provide A) variety of topics, and B) an unusual or philosophical take on whatever news you choose to share. I am only disappointed by the “dumb dog” posts, because they seem both very in line with those of other SLOG writers and calculated to infuriate me. No, I don’t believe that you’re sitting somewhere twirling your moustache with glee at the thought of needling me, but still.

    Of all films, why would you obsess over “Kangaroo Jack”?

  28. If you let your dog attack a wild animal, it may get hurt. Hell, if you let your dog attack a tame animal, it may get hurt. If you interfere, you may get hurt. Control your damn dog. I let my dog chase a few squirrels because I know it isn’t going to catch them. I do not let it chase possums, raccoons, or anything else because it may get hurt. I don’t let it mess with other animals because it just isn’t very nice.

    We have an idiot lady who lets her dog go after the geese in our beaver pond. I would not mess with her dog, but I would like to hurt her just a little.

  29. I still can’t fathom how this man got anything but a black eye, and how the kangaroo managed to hold the dog down while wearing boxing gloves. I’m starting to question what I know about kangaroos.

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