Good Morning all!
It's been about 2 1/2 years since I posted here about our lovely coyote, Sandy. We visited her again a few days ago and here are my thoughts about it:
Every time we see her, it is an emotional experience. She brought so much joy, creativity and intelligence to the party, that it has been hard to not be able to play with her and live with her. Each visit is different and telling in its own way. She is older now, at ten, with no more than eight to go. And losing her partner has made her less stable, troubled, nervous. The days of a sparkle in her eye, a mischievous bent, as we played and schemed, are waning. Instead of the joy in every moment and willingness to always play, she is now more lost, more distracted by loss and confinement. And there is nothing we can do to help. If we lived closer, we could volunteer at Southwest and rekindle the earlier joy, play with her and give her treats. But it won't happen. No dog has ever touched me like she has. Or taught me as much as she has. No dog I've known has lived a life so fully, or so close to the edge as her. When she was with us, she could have been taken by Animal Control at any moment, and destroyed. She could so easily have been shot by those who hate coyotes and don't have the ability to understand them, or care. We could not get medical help for her, shots for her, or even keep her on our property legally. And yet she was joyous, in the moment, scheming, and so much fun. Aside form the friendship, I studied her carefully, documented her development, and watched her interaction with people and other dogs. She is a dog in every respect, except for being more wary and independent. And, of course, much more intelligent. She communicates perfectly with other dogs, can have pups with normal dogs, understands dog hierarchy and pack behaviors and seeks to mate for life. But never was dangerous to us in any way. At our place, she was not tied up or fenced in, she went camping with us, rode in the car, visited friends, went into restaurants and markets, understood many commands, and was always challenging us to games she invented. I practiced my howling, or singing, to match her, but it made her nervous. She loved to eat rabbit, and I tried to train her to hunt for them, but she didn't show much interest. Because we rescued her, at two days old and frozen to near death, she was considered disabled and could not be released. But she was physically perfectly healthy in every way. So she will live out her life at Southwest Wildlife in Scottsdale, AZ. She had a huge affect on me and will live in my memory for the rest of my life.