We all have collections that we enjoy keeping up with. Some people love to collect rare stones while others collect old comic books. Whatever it is, we love our little collections. While this may feel like a uniquely human venture, other animals love to collect things as well!
Squirrels, wolverines, and even dogs love to collect!
If you have ever seen a squirrel hopping around your yard digging around, chances are you are witnessing it adding to its collection! Squirrels love to bury acorns and other nuts to save for later. They have a pretty incredible memory when it comes to remembering where all their food stores are! Even wolverines will bury meals in the snow to come back for a frozen treat later.
Bruce the golden retriever has a collection of his own.
Bruce is a 4-year-old golden retriever who has found a bit of a hobby for himself! He is a hilarious dog who has found joy in collecting sticks on his daily walks and adventures.
The collection started one day in a winter storm.
Leo Icenhour is Bruce’s human, and he tells us the story of how Bruce developed his collection. One year there was a bad winter storm and Bruce’s favorite stick was somewhere buried under the ice.
“He started his stick collection after a massive snow came into our area and left about 12 inches of snow on the ground,” explained Icenhour. “At the time, he only had one stick and it was his absolute favorite. Well, it started snowing one evening and he left the stick out in our field. Over the next couple of days, he was in an absolute frenzy every time we went outside, relentlessly searching for his stick. He would dig like a madman and even bury his head in the snow trying to find it!”
Nowadays, Bruce has refined his collection.
In perfect class, Bruce has taken his winter storm experience and turned it into one of his little joys. With a collection spanning over 50 sticks, he has quite the showroom!
Bruce isn’t allowed to play with his sticks, just collect them!
Most experts don’t recommend that dogs play with sticks (even if they love them)! Wooden sticks have the potential to splinter and cause choking. Thankfully for Bruce, Leo bought a rubber stick for them to play fetch with. Bruce almost lost his life a few years ago when a wooden stick punctured his esophagus when he was only two.
“We have been through a lot with each other as he almost lost his life after a stick perforated his esophagus while we were playing fetch the day of his 2nd birthday. From that point on, we started playing with a rubber stick for fetch purposes and Bruce started building his stick collection!” explained Icenhour.
Even with his tenuous encounter with the woody branches, Bruce still loves them.
He isn’t allowed to bring the sticks into the house, but Leo lets him keep them in a particular area outside the door. It seems like Bruce is a bit of a conqueror! Instead of letting the fear of sticks dominate his life, he now has turned them into a hobby.
Check out his Instagram below!
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