OMG! This is NOT cool!

What a way to get the blood pumping first thing in the morning!

Early this morning, I put Pippin and Tasha out for their morning constitutional. Pippin was wearing his basket muzzle since his mouth is still healing from the horse kick, and he's not supposed to put anything hard into his mouth for another week. It's below zero here this morning, and Tasha chills quickly with her short coat, so I only left them out for a few minutes before going to let them in. They weren't waiting at the door as usual, so I called them. They didn't come. I could hear them barking a ways off but couldn't see around the side of the house, so I came inside to look out the window to see what they were barking at.

There, to my frightened amazement, were Tasha, Pippin, and four HUGE timberwolves advancing on each other on the driveway between the hayfields! Tasha was leading the dogs with Pip following behind, and the four wolves were trotting in a line toward them. When I saw them, Tasha and the lead wolf couldn't have been more than 5-10' from each other, and they were all still advancing! At first I thought the other canids were coyotes until I saw them close to the dogs and compared their sizes. Tash and Pip are about 50# each, and these wolves dwarfed them. They were ENORMOUS!

I went racing outside in my slippers and house clothes, screaming at the top of my lungs. As soon as the wolves saw me, they begrudgingly turned around and slowly trotted back down the driveway. Tasha was prepared to chase them but came back when I called her, as did Pip. Pip, of course, would have been completely defenseless wearing his muzzle if the wolves had attacked instead of retreated. Fortunately he had the sense to stay behind Tasha during the whole encounter, and Tasha wasn't about to back off an inch! She's one brave girl, my Tasha!

As soon as we were all safely back in the house, I ran to the window with my binoculars where Joe joined me, and we watched the wolves wander around the far end of the hayfield for a few minutes. Soon thereafter, Joe left for work, only to drive back up to the house a couple of minutes later to report that he found the scattered remains of a deer kill on the driveway just beyond the hayfields. Thank goodness those wolves had full bellies when they encountered the dogs this morning, or the outcome may have been very different. We might all have ended up wolf breakfast!

I called Wildlife Services this morning, and they told me that they can't trap and relocate the wolves unless they actually injure or kill my animals. Gee, that makes me feel SO much better (NOT). :-( They will, however, come out this morning to evaluate the situation, for whatever that's worth.

Now I'm not only worried about the dogs and cats (though the cats don't go outside during the winter months), but about the old mares, as well. I'm scared to put the old girls out in the pasture now. Wildlife services did tell me, though, that there was only one verified wolf attack on a horse in MN last year. Still, one is too many for me, and my girls aren't exactly young, agile equines anymore. I do feel a little better knowing that Mare Mare has enough attitude and kick left to break canid teeth, though I wish she had saved it for the wolves rather than demonstrating her short temper on Pippin.

These are four "strays" who are NOT welcome here at Shadowood!

Laurie