OP
Raspy
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,656
- Location
- Smith Valley, Nevada
- Tractor
- NH TC29DA, F250 Tremor, Jeep Rubicon
We've been wondering for a while how Sandy would interact with the wild coyotes in the area. We were warned that they would kill her, but I don't know. She might have paired up with one at some point if she stayed here, and that would have been a beautiful story. The latest group of them could easily be her siblings and that could have an unpredictable affect. Last Wednesday, before we left on our trip, the wild ones were yipping during the day in the direction where we picked her up. I have never heard them from that area and never at that time. We had her on a leash to keep her from going to her den for a nap and she was very nervous. Looking over there and pulling on the tether, jumping and just generally concerned. I went to her and calmed her down several times, but as soon as I walked away she was upset again.
Last month on the 22nd they were here next to the house at night. Then on the 23rd she had a fight with them late at night. Liye heard her outside crying, hurt. Liye took the other dogs out and called Sandy. When she came to the porch she was very upset and looked like she wanted help. Bei Bei checked her over closely. Liye told her to go to bed and she went to her den for the rest of the night. It was late, windy and raining hard.
The next morning Sandy came to the porch as she always did and liye discovered she was limping, bleeding from her forehead and had two teeth missing. Poor dog. Several puncture wounds from canine teeth.
From then on she stayed closer to the house and seemed very nervous when the yipping started.
It begins to show the position she was in here. Not with her natural pack, she was vulnerable and on her own. With us, but living in her own den outside the house. Safe with us, but not with her own kind and in a situation that would have to get resolved at some point. Wild ones near every night. Her instincts were driving her and she was responding to them. She had made herself a very secure den so she felt safe to sleep and hide if needed. A place to get out of the hot sun, to rest at night and to get away from danger.
As a coyote she liked to patrol at night and so she did. Harmless activity and fun to see, but others are out at that time too. An activity unnecessary here as she couldn't or didn't hunt. Her favorite food is rabbit, but we had to supply them. And yet she protected them from us with a snarl if we came to close while she was eating. She never protected the dry dog food from us or the other dogs though, and would even bring a rabbit leg or head to share. But the main body was hers and hers alone. Period. When she was full she would bury or hide the rest until later and then get it back out.
She always loved to be with us. Anytime of the day or night. As I mentioned before, she would go up to the new house with me in the morning and make that her area. She would begin to look around and find something to play with and keep away from me. She would do it right in front of me and while watching me. if I said no or moved toward her she was off like a shot and the game was on. Always staying just out of reach, she is much faster than me and could toy with me as I tried to get my paint brush or glove back.
Every other day we fill our water tank. Liye would walk up to the pump house and Sandy would take off. When Liye got there she would find Sandy sitting and waiting for her at the pump house door.
Sandy was beginning to expand her territory, even though she had been hurt. Her leg healed over the next couple of weeks and she was seen over at our neighbor's place about 200 yards away. Liye would go running and Sandy would go with her, but then Liye would bring her back and leash her so as not to be followed. I was out of town a lot recently and she was beginning to wander farther. We came back from town a few days ago and found quail feathers and a few bones strewn around the porch. Somehow she had gotten a bird. We think it cam from the neighbors house where they feed them all the time.
I would go on walks out into the BLM land and Sandy was my partner. No leash, she was an equal, a pack mate, out on patrol with me. Looking for animals. Checking the place out. Even working as a team to surround a rabbit or waiting as I tried to drive a rabbit her way. She was in her element and I marveled at the teamwork she displayed. We were partners. When it was time to go home we just headed back in that direction. Always covering more ground than me, she would circle around, stop to investigate something, dig a bit or carry a pine cone for a while. Looking over to check on me or tooling along parallel at a distance. When we got back to the house there was always a nice greeting. Bei Bei would check her over and Liye would welcome us back. All things I'd expect a wild dog to do in the wild with her pack. But, of course, we brought no food home. Me and Sandy, two domestic animals out acting wild. Friends.
She was bridging the gap between wild and tame. Adapting to the world she found herself in, but not ignoring who she was at her core. Finding a balance. Trusting but wary. Shy, but secure. All the while healthy and well fed so that she could think about more than just survival. Mostly safe. Certainly not threatened by us or by Bei Bei. Being safe and well fed, living with trusted pack mates and having Bei Bei as her protector and surrogate mother gave her the opportunity we wanted her to have. That is, we wanted to see who she was. Who is this little dog? What is her personality, can she be friends with us, can we live with her, etc. Can she be other than a dangerous killer, a menace, a mindless opportunist?
Well, we found out she has a real personality. A sense of humor. She can plan ahead and carry out those plans. She can adapt to new situations and be happy doing it (this is a big one for a wild dog). Do things like ride in the car for hours, happily looking out the window or sleeping. Never a mess in the car, she would let us know when she needed to get out. If we were not near a highway I'd just let her go and she would sniff around, do her thing and jump back in when I called her. She can love and trust people. Follow people's directions. Learn things by being taught and through observation. She can apply her instincts to situations no other coyote has ever had to in a way that allows harmony in her world. In other word's she is able to adapt and live in piece. In fact she wants to live that way. Never asking more than what is needed right now and always ready to have fun or doze off as she is talked to and petted. She clearly demonstrated her love for this place and for us and for Bei Bei. She never wandered off even though she was free to go from two moths old. Never fenced in, always outside and only tethered for short times for special reasons. She lived here and this was her home. She was very happy.
This is why we love her so much. She is a family member that adds so much. We have put so much into her care. Protected her, fed her and interacted with her. Had a real relationship with her. At the same time she could have been taken away at any time and we could not get medical attention for her. That's the unresolvable conflict. A phone call by a neighbor to animal control and she would have been taken. If she scratched a neighbor accidentally during a greeting or during play, they would rightly ask: has she had her rabies shots? My answer would be no and then the real trouble would start. And remember, we wanted to get her shots. We tried, we schemed to get her shots. It's illegal to give her shots and the record of those shots would lead to further problems. So, after I would have replied "no" to the question, she would have been killed to test her for rabies. It's just as simple as that. No ifs, ands, or buts. Killed, dissected and tested like rat in a laboratory.
So there's the story. Keep her and risk the problems, or send her away and let her live. She could not be released as she could not hunt and I was not going to subject her to starvation after saving her. Not going to ditch a friend in the mountains and drive away to wash my hands of the problem. Loving her meant letting her go. Confusing her and disrupting her happy life, but giving her security the best way we could. And I know we truly did the best we could.
The next chapter is yet to be written in her life and I'll be involved with that too. That's where all of you will be able to follow this story farther, see more pictures of her, learn about her future adventures and even meet her if you happen to be in the area. Meanwhile I'll update the story as new things happen and we get through this transition period with her getting settled and me getting organized.
It's been a wonderful adventure. It has satisfied a long standing curiosity of mine about wild dogs. It connects all of us to our domestic dogs and the wild ones they came from. The beauty and incredible depth of these magnificent dogs is really something touching and so underestimated by the general public. I hope we all can see them in a little different light now. If I am able to improve their interaction with people in some small way, I will be very satisfied that I have done my part in this story.
Last month on the 22nd they were here next to the house at night. Then on the 23rd she had a fight with them late at night. Liye heard her outside crying, hurt. Liye took the other dogs out and called Sandy. When she came to the porch she was very upset and looked like she wanted help. Bei Bei checked her over closely. Liye told her to go to bed and she went to her den for the rest of the night. It was late, windy and raining hard.
The next morning Sandy came to the porch as she always did and liye discovered she was limping, bleeding from her forehead and had two teeth missing. Poor dog. Several puncture wounds from canine teeth.
From then on she stayed closer to the house and seemed very nervous when the yipping started.
It begins to show the position she was in here. Not with her natural pack, she was vulnerable and on her own. With us, but living in her own den outside the house. Safe with us, but not with her own kind and in a situation that would have to get resolved at some point. Wild ones near every night. Her instincts were driving her and she was responding to them. She had made herself a very secure den so she felt safe to sleep and hide if needed. A place to get out of the hot sun, to rest at night and to get away from danger.
As a coyote she liked to patrol at night and so she did. Harmless activity and fun to see, but others are out at that time too. An activity unnecessary here as she couldn't or didn't hunt. Her favorite food is rabbit, but we had to supply them. And yet she protected them from us with a snarl if we came to close while she was eating. She never protected the dry dog food from us or the other dogs though, and would even bring a rabbit leg or head to share. But the main body was hers and hers alone. Period. When she was full she would bury or hide the rest until later and then get it back out.
She always loved to be with us. Anytime of the day or night. As I mentioned before, she would go up to the new house with me in the morning and make that her area. She would begin to look around and find something to play with and keep away from me. She would do it right in front of me and while watching me. if I said no or moved toward her she was off like a shot and the game was on. Always staying just out of reach, she is much faster than me and could toy with me as I tried to get my paint brush or glove back.
Every other day we fill our water tank. Liye would walk up to the pump house and Sandy would take off. When Liye got there she would find Sandy sitting and waiting for her at the pump house door.
Sandy was beginning to expand her territory, even though she had been hurt. Her leg healed over the next couple of weeks and she was seen over at our neighbor's place about 200 yards away. Liye would go running and Sandy would go with her, but then Liye would bring her back and leash her so as not to be followed. I was out of town a lot recently and she was beginning to wander farther. We came back from town a few days ago and found quail feathers and a few bones strewn around the porch. Somehow she had gotten a bird. We think it cam from the neighbors house where they feed them all the time.
I would go on walks out into the BLM land and Sandy was my partner. No leash, she was an equal, a pack mate, out on patrol with me. Looking for animals. Checking the place out. Even working as a team to surround a rabbit or waiting as I tried to drive a rabbit her way. She was in her element and I marveled at the teamwork she displayed. We were partners. When it was time to go home we just headed back in that direction. Always covering more ground than me, she would circle around, stop to investigate something, dig a bit or carry a pine cone for a while. Looking over to check on me or tooling along parallel at a distance. When we got back to the house there was always a nice greeting. Bei Bei would check her over and Liye would welcome us back. All things I'd expect a wild dog to do in the wild with her pack. But, of course, we brought no food home. Me and Sandy, two domestic animals out acting wild. Friends.
She was bridging the gap between wild and tame. Adapting to the world she found herself in, but not ignoring who she was at her core. Finding a balance. Trusting but wary. Shy, but secure. All the while healthy and well fed so that she could think about more than just survival. Mostly safe. Certainly not threatened by us or by Bei Bei. Being safe and well fed, living with trusted pack mates and having Bei Bei as her protector and surrogate mother gave her the opportunity we wanted her to have. That is, we wanted to see who she was. Who is this little dog? What is her personality, can she be friends with us, can we live with her, etc. Can she be other than a dangerous killer, a menace, a mindless opportunist?
Well, we found out she has a real personality. A sense of humor. She can plan ahead and carry out those plans. She can adapt to new situations and be happy doing it (this is a big one for a wild dog). Do things like ride in the car for hours, happily looking out the window or sleeping. Never a mess in the car, she would let us know when she needed to get out. If we were not near a highway I'd just let her go and she would sniff around, do her thing and jump back in when I called her. She can love and trust people. Follow people's directions. Learn things by being taught and through observation. She can apply her instincts to situations no other coyote has ever had to in a way that allows harmony in her world. In other word's she is able to adapt and live in piece. In fact she wants to live that way. Never asking more than what is needed right now and always ready to have fun or doze off as she is talked to and petted. She clearly demonstrated her love for this place and for us and for Bei Bei. She never wandered off even though she was free to go from two moths old. Never fenced in, always outside and only tethered for short times for special reasons. She lived here and this was her home. She was very happy.
This is why we love her so much. She is a family member that adds so much. We have put so much into her care. Protected her, fed her and interacted with her. Had a real relationship with her. At the same time she could have been taken away at any time and we could not get medical attention for her. That's the unresolvable conflict. A phone call by a neighbor to animal control and she would have been taken. If she scratched a neighbor accidentally during a greeting or during play, they would rightly ask: has she had her rabies shots? My answer would be no and then the real trouble would start. And remember, we wanted to get her shots. We tried, we schemed to get her shots. It's illegal to give her shots and the record of those shots would lead to further problems. So, after I would have replied "no" to the question, she would have been killed to test her for rabies. It's just as simple as that. No ifs, ands, or buts. Killed, dissected and tested like rat in a laboratory.
So there's the story. Keep her and risk the problems, or send her away and let her live. She could not be released as she could not hunt and I was not going to subject her to starvation after saving her. Not going to ditch a friend in the mountains and drive away to wash my hands of the problem. Loving her meant letting her go. Confusing her and disrupting her happy life, but giving her security the best way we could. And I know we truly did the best we could.
The next chapter is yet to be written in her life and I'll be involved with that too. That's where all of you will be able to follow this story farther, see more pictures of her, learn about her future adventures and even meet her if you happen to be in the area. Meanwhile I'll update the story as new things happen and we get through this transition period with her getting settled and me getting organized.
It's been a wonderful adventure. It has satisfied a long standing curiosity of mine about wild dogs. It connects all of us to our domestic dogs and the wild ones they came from. The beauty and incredible depth of these magnificent dogs is really something touching and so underestimated by the general public. I hope we all can see them in a little different light now. If I am able to improve their interaction with people in some small way, I will be very satisfied that I have done my part in this story.
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