VS.
Okay, the coyotes are starting to get on my nerves. The dogs have had me up all night with their barking and whining. Lulu has threatened to hurl herself through my bedroom window at the sound of the coyotes deliberately playing and fighting and mating right on our front lawn. The thing that bothers me about the dogs vs. coyotes thing is that the dogs are reduced to cartoonish levels of stupidity. The coyotes appear to be mocking them for their very amusement.
I will try to get a photo of one large male who likes to sit atop a stone wall and grin at Daphne and Lulu who run back and forth along their invisible fence-line, hackles and tails raised to the heavens, barking until they’re hoarse. The coyote yawns and stares off into the distance and then gazes passively at the dogs, who become weak with their own hatred and remonstrative snarling and barking.
Sometimes a coyote will trot though our horse field in the late afternoon, knowing that’s within the dogs’ territory, just to see the dogs streak across the field after it. Of course the coyote lopes back across the invisible fence, and then turns to watch the dogs completely lose their minds with frustration.
In domesticating our animals, so many thousands of years ago, we couldn’t help but diminish their intelligence. Their intelligence is all about hunting and acquiring food really. That’s why predators/carnivores are such better problem solvers than herbivores. A horse or deer has his food at his feet, in the wild, and has very little problem solving capacity. Hunters, especially pack hunters like dogs, must have a highly developed capacity to think ahead, to communicate, and to solve puzzles. Just watching my dogs try to deal with the coyotes makes me see how we have bred a certain amount of cunning and wit out of them, probably just by providing them their food in a bowl every day. I suppose I wouldn’t want a dog that has the cruel sense of humor of our local coyotes, but I’d take a couple that understand the words, “Shut up!” when I yell them at three in the morning.
But back to the herbivore/carnivore thing, I have toyed with, but always resisted the urge to become a vegetarian as I’m convinced that being one notch higher on the food chain makes me smarter somehow (I’ll take anything, these days, to make me feel less of a dullard). But, often, when I’ve just finished a ham sandwich and then go up to the barn, I will pop a mint, because I think the smell of meat on my breath must repulse the horses, who have sweet breath, always. It makes me feel vulgar eating meat around horses, who, though they tolerate dogs, really think they’re quite disgusting. Our horse Gabriel won’t touch a water trough after a dog has drunk our of it. It’s clear that he finds dogs filthy and repulsive, yet he’ll carefully step around a lively puppy so as not to harm it.
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I agree vey much
Sandy, I should have clarified. I still intend to photograph the coyote that hangs out on our stone wall but the handsome devil in the photo above was lifted from the web. I think it looks like he’s in the southwest someplace. I have seen some mangy coyotes but also some very healthy specimens around here. The fox population, however has some serious mange. They’re really having some bad hair days of late.
I read someplace that the reason that the coyotes are getting larger and more aggressive is that the majority have at least some dog blood and that makes them lose some of their instinctive fear of humans. Also makes them want to hunt more than scavenge. I wish people would neuter their dogs!
What a beautiful coyote!
I know he must be a P-I-T-A for you, but he is gorgeous!
Here in Texas, ours are not quite so thick in coat, and usually a lot smaller and sometimes mangy. Last year there was a video that made national news that was shot from a sheriff’s patrol car in South TX. It showed tham chasing a hairless coyote (due to mange). It was supposed to be the legndary CHUPAKABRA, a dog like beast that sucks the blood (and life) out of goats and sheep.
Sometimes I think I live in the Twilight Zone down here!
HA! Destini’s comment cracks me up! Good one!
I grew up on a ranch in northern California, and an old Indian who’d lived in the area for generations told me that coyotes are talking to one another, letting each other know where they are, who’s going to go off hunting and whose turn it is to stay home with the pups, where the food looks promising, where it doesn’t, where there is water, or badgers, or bears,or foxes, or whatever. It can kind of get on your nerves, I know, but I’ve always loved the sound despite the fact that it drove my parents wild. There’s a great book called “Coyote – Defiant Songdog of the West” if you’re interested in learning more about them.
Sounds like this is a job for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Boom Boom
Ann,
At this point I would take coyotes over skunks any day. Lately we have a influx of these vile creatures and the stench is enough to make your eyes water. No matter where we go, their lovely scent if abounding. Good luck with the full moon in place by the way.
Ann,
The visual of your dog Lulu threatening to hurl herself through your bedroom window is hilarious. At the same time, I can’t imagine dealing with the coyotes wailing through the night. It is so disturbing and freaks me out.
Hearing that you are toying with becoming a vegetarian is really cool! Being one myself for the past 4 years, I have never felt better. I’m not an animal activist and like I’ve mentioned before, your husband’s bit on vegetarians cracks me up. I would say try going vegetarian for a day, then go from there. All a personal choice, but I do get enough protein through nuts and veggies. (I eat tofu/soy, but not too often) and I am not lacking in B-12, so my brain isn’t shrinking.
A great book you probably would enjoy is “Skinny Bitch”. Great information, written in a very frank/blunt/to-the-point style.