The Hunt Continues

In a recent post, Roxy, my fearless Bichon, attacked a hapless and humongous coyote and lived to perch on the back of my couch another day. How she got away with only four puncture wounds, we’ll never know. She is all healed up and has become a house dog for the winter. This is not a big sacrifice since she prefers to stay inside while sleeping on a fluffy blanket and pillow.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my son brought two of his furry friends for a visit. When Danny and I took them for a walk, we spotted a more normal-sized coyote hunting in the open space near our home.

The coyote looks much farther away than it was.

We stopped and stared at it. Would it stalk us? Would it ignore us? Would it howl? While we thought about whether to continue our walk along the trail, it sat down and stared at us.

Luckily, a fat rabbit struck out of its hiding place. They began a new staring contest.

Jack Rabbit: You can’t see me because I’m playing statue.

Milly Coyote: Ha! A much better feast option.

Jack Rabbit: Ha! You are looking right through me. I am so good at this.

Milly Coyote: How stupid can rabbits be?

Milly Coyote: Ha! I scared off that couple with their tiny appetizers. I am so powerful. Where did that rabbit go?

We let the animals play their game and walked up the hill instead. I glanced over my shoulder several times to be sure the coyote wasn’t following us. When we arrived home, the three fury friends piled into bed, thankful to be alive another day.

I haven’t seen Adolf, the gargantuan coyote, but I ran into a couple who had. They were surprised to see one that huge. After a comment from List of X, I looked it up. A hybrid of coyote, wolf, and dog, called a coywolf, is taking over parts of the country. According to Field and Stream, it is a “super-predator.” That makes Roxy even more lucky.

Why did Roxy go after it in the first place? Vanessa-Jane Chapman said it best – “I often think domestic animals behave oddly because they retain part of their wild instincts, but they’re generally protected by us, so aren’t always as streetwise as they think they are, and hence don’t always make the best decisions!”

How did Roxy get away? Pegoleg and TedBook suggested Adolf laughed hysterically when he saw my ferocious pipsqueak. Maybe he couldn’t get a good grip.

Would you rather sleep inside or look for an outdoor adventure? Do you have predators in your neighborhood? Do you hibernate for the winter?

The first post about Adolf the Coywolf