Remembering Caplin Rous: 2008 C

Cinco de Mayo Capybara

Owner’s blog:

Continuing on my memories of Caplin Rous as we approach what would have been his 5th birthday on July 10th. Don’t forget that if you’d like to buy a Caplin Rous Commemorative Necklace, they are on sale for $15 until his birthday. Supplies are limited.

This photo posing with a slew of props for Cinco de Mayo is classically Caplin. He probably had more patience than any other ‘bura who has ever lived. Of course he didn’t much like the mustache but the point is he put up with it. And the little pinata is attached to his collar. And he’s on a bench/swing. It will be a whole lot more training before I can get Garibaldi to do this.

Nose ornament

You don’t see many photos of Caplin where he looks silly so I thought I would share this one. That’s another difference between Caplin and Gari, Gari always looks silly.

Grace under water

People ask me if all capybaras don’t look alike. They do, and they don’t. I would never mistake this for a photo of Garibaldi. It looks nothing like him to me. In a photo like this, Gari would be upside down.

Caplin Bipedal

Rick and I used to always say that Caplin wanted to be a biped, like people, but he could only pull it off in the water. He would often walk across the pool like this.

That regal bearing

There was something about Caplin Rous that radiated confidence and poise. I think that’s what made him such a great capybara ambassador. No one who met him could not respect him.

With Leah and Cassio

The term “co-pet” was invented to convey Caplin Rous’ relationship with the other animals in the house. They weren’t exactly his subjects, he was only Rodent Royalty not All-Animal Royalty. He wanted to give them a hint of equality but, of course, he basked in most-favored-pet status.

Love

I think this photo conveys how much I loved him. Being around him made me happy. And I know he loved me too, even though he might look like he’s trying to escape in this photo.

The capybara and the pea

Caplin hated the tile floor in the kitchen and family room. Whenever possible he stayed on the carpet or on one of the many rugs we bought for him. When he walked on the tile, he always curled his toes as if trying to dig his claws into soil. That doesn’t work on a hard surface and he would sometimes actually slip and fall.

Grazing

Caplin spent a lot of time each day grazing. His favorite part was the seed heads and he would walk all over the yard snapping up the tastiest of them. I really, really wish Gari would do this. Gari will eat a little grass but I guess because he never grazed before we got him, he seems to think all food comes in a bowl.

Standing tall in the pool

This photo proves that no matter what Caplin did or how he posed, he never looked anything less than regal. He is 13 months old in this shot.

Skunk or capybara?

Caplin in his favorite mud hole. You’ll notice the center of his back is dry. This is because he never rolled over all the way. He’d roll on one side and then the other, sometimes leaving a dry section down the middle of his back. Eventually he would get the middle part covered in muddy water too. Since Garibaldi is a rolling maniac, you will never see a photo like this of him.

Capybara at sunset

This has only taken us to the end of November, 2008. I am not making very good progress in the story of Caplin Rous’ life. It’s just there are so many great images of him, images that convey his beauty and his personality. I’m skipping as many as I possibly can but I can’t bring myself to rush through it any more quickly than this.