Canines: domestic and wild

Yesterday afternoon, the Duo and I headed out for an earlier-than-usual hike. I took them to the big meadow because I figured that the coyotes wouldn't be active so far before sunset. I almost always start the Duo's off-leash romping time with a bit of training so that I have their focus on me. They did a sit-stay together.

As their focus on me became complete, I began to realize that there was activity behind them. They didn't know it yet.

I spotted a coyote, sitting in the middle of a marshy part of the meadow that is speckled with willow bushes. He's near the lower right corner of the photo below.

Upon seeing him watching us, I called the Duo to me. Because the coyote was downwind of us and behind the Duo, they had no idea that he was there.

As the Duo sprinted to me, I saw that a second coyote was sitting near the first. The pair of coyotes cantered toward the cover of a boulder-strewn hillside. One coyote disappeared while the other stayed out to watch us. He's in the lower left of the photo below, standing on a boulder for a better view, just like my dogs like to do.

By then, I had the Duo on-leash to avoid a coyote encounter. I'm glad that I know every stump and boulder in that meadow. Otherwise, I might have led the Duo straight toward the well-camouflaged coyotes. After years and years of practicing recalls near wildlife, I feel confident that I could have called the Duo off of the coyotes... but I'd rather avoid the situation altogether. It's less stressful for the coyotes and for us.

We've still had the injured coyote coming by our house with his mate - and I suspect that he was one of the pair that we saw yesterday. You might be able to see the dark area under his left eye in the next photo taken by our house. It has been there for a couple of weeks.

From another camera, I figured out that he's the male in the breeding pair. I wonder if he got in a fight over his mate during the recent breeding season. At the other camera, the female arrived first and "squatted" to mark the spot. Her mate watched her, and you might be able to see the dark area under his left eye. It's tougher to see with this "infrared" flash camera.

Then, the male marked the same spot before trotting off quickly after his partner. I hope this guy is okay. Male coyotes play huge roles in raising pups, doing most of the hunting while the mother is confined to the den with her nursing pups. Younger coyotes who are part of the same pack also help raise the pups. I've been seeing those "single" coyotes passing my cameras. There appears to be only one breeding pair in our territory, and this is it.

Returning to our hike yesterday afternoon, after we'd walked a good distance away from the coyotes, I gave the Duo their freedom again. I love watching R run. He is so graceful and strong, galloping among the boulders.

And, I love K's fur in the red rays of the sun near the end of the day.

Today, K had some tests to see how her body is accommodating the new form of chemotherapy. We are so fortunate that she loves going to the vet since it's a frequent occurrence these days. She loves any activity that involves interacting with people, and the vets and techs give her lots of love. She sings and rejoices as we arrive at the clinic. I bet that's a rarity!