And, in the early hours of yesterday, when floodwater started to inundate his Mosgiel chicken coop, the question was finally answered.
‘‘Yes. Yes they can,’’ he said, with a high level of bemusement.
‘‘It was quite funny to watch.’’
He was one of many on the Taieri affected by rising floodwaters when the area was hit with 74.6mm on Sunday and another 43.7mm to 10am yesterday.
But rather than let it get him down, he and many others on the Taieri took it all in their stride and found a lighter side to the darker moments.
‘‘I was more worried about my pets.
‘‘When I went out to check the chickens about 3am, they looked like little drowned rats.’’
A ‘‘discussion’’ took place with his partner, who wanted to take them into the house for the night.
‘‘I felt sorry for them,’’ Mr Shaw said.
‘‘But not so sorry that I wanted them inside.
‘‘I’d rather go out in the p...... rain and check every hour and see if they’re OK, than having them s... all over the house.’’
He erected some perches in the coop so the birds could stand above the water line.
Gordon Rd resident Lyn Grant said she got ‘‘a hell of a shock’’ yesterday morning when she opened the front door to let her dog Ellie out for a toilet stop.‘‘She ran out the door and just disappeared under water.’’
Unlike chickens, it appears Ellie is not a good swimmer.
‘‘I had to go and fish her out.
‘‘Then we had to go for a wee ride to find some grass above water so she could go for a wee.’’
Out at Momona, where large amounts of water was ponding in the paddocks, children had a great start to their school holidays, paddling canoes
and kayaks.
For the Wood and Scott children, it was ‘‘the best holiday ever’’.
