On Tour With Mousse

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

On Tour With Mousse

Introducing Mousse of Ile Casy in the Baie du Prony. This unassuming fellow is about 12 years old and is a legend. In an age when nobody wants to stay in a resort any longer and cruising on an ocean liner has become such a favorite with holidaymakers it's not a shock to know that the tiny resort on Ile Casy closed down. What is a surprise is that the family that ran the place were unable to take their pet dog Mousse with them. Mousse refused to leave and hid. Eventually a family pet was left to live his own life on an island.

Mousse just chillin' out under the jetty.

It may seem that Mousse was abandoned but the world has not abandoned him. He is visited daily by a procession of yachties and tour operators who leave him food and water plus give him lots of pats and rubs. A Vet from Noumea routinely checks on him and as required, various pills and jabs are administered. He's very attentive and walks out on the jetty to observe each newly arrived boat. When people come ashore he leads them on a walk around his terrain. If you look like taking the wrong fork in a track Mousse just waits and looks around to check if you'll decide instead to follow his lead. He takes his guests for a walk instead of the other way round.

On our first 2 days at Ile Casy, Mousse was too busy with other boat crews and we walked most of the island alone. Deciding that there was a part we'd not yet explored, we went ashore again and this time got the "Long Island Tour" from Mousse for 1 1/2 hours right around the Island; up hill and down dale! Of course he knew all the short cuts and when satisfied we were on track he'd slip away through the trees and reappear to keep us going.

He took us to a favourite beach spot and noticed a boat motoring past. Was he thinking about what treats they might be delivering?

Although Mousse is probably a bit blind, he was definitely keen on something in the sand.

We felt immensely privileged to be escorted by this lovely dog. Along the way we got to enjoy some lovely vistas as well as some less so, around the old mine. There were some nice flora to catch our attention too.