C: Gang Violence in the Country

The other night MIL and I were watching some tube together when I realized I had forgotten to bring her the mail I had gathered as I came home. I drove back down the driveway (dogs chasing along as they always do), and the dogs and I ran into the house to grab the mail.

As we came back out, Chili spotted something off the porch--in the pitch blackness. Off he went. As you can see from this photo taken from my front porch in the morning daylight, I am surrounded by woods. There is a small meadow between me and the forest edge. At night the light from my porch does nothing to penetrate the dark even five feet outward.



I could not see what Chili was doing; but before long I heard...the unmistakable sounds of a dog fight. There is little that raises my blood pressure more. I had no flashlight and I had no way of knowing who was getting the best of whom. After a few seconds (seemed much longer), here came Chili running back at top speed.

As he cleared the steps to come on the porch beside me, the woods came absolutely alive with howling. There were coyotes out there!! From the sound, there were a lot of them, although I understand that a few can sound like many.

We are accustomed to coyotes out here, and they don't bother us. From time to time we will catch sight of one, but about the most damage they do is that I suspect them of offing my kitties. I think Chili must have sensed one too close to the house and took off after him--bitting off more than he could chew when the whole gang arrived to the rescue of their mate. Here's Chili near the scene of the crime in the daylight.

Chili, Scout and I went back to MIL's, and we brought the dogs in. Chili had a bleeding nick on his hindquarters--nothing to worry about. But he had blood all over the ruff of his neck. We speculate that this means the coyote might have gotten the worst of it.

Chili was keyed up something awful! He paced and looked out the window, and I could tell his adrenalin was pumping by the way he shook every so often. When I told the story later, my brother said he was trying to say, "You just don't know what's out there!!" Probably so.

All this evoked images of Old Yeller, the burning of the rabid cow in the night, and the appearance of the rabid wolf, which was intercepted by the brave Yeller, to his eventual death. What a story! As the title song says: "His coat was yeller, but his heart was true blue." Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a little Miley Cyrus song to spur your own memories of this heroic dog story.



I learned from you that I do not crumble
I learned that strength is something you choose
All of the reasons to keep on believin'
There's no question, that's a lesson, that I learned from you


And one more picture of my own heroic dog, Chili

And, if you haven't both seen the movie and read the book, "Ol' Yeller," well, I don't know if you can call yourself literate!

This post and the clip makes my eyes a little misty at the thought of my dogs' loyalty! I loooooooove them! C

P.S.We are seriously thinking of getting a female Belgian Malinois as a wife to Chili--raising our own counterterrorism group!

Comments

Kathleen said…
What a fabulous story!

While our children were young we always had dogs. They've been gone a long time - - both the children AND the dogs. I miss them (the dogs). :)

I love the meadow picture, too. It evoked feelings of Fall and made me hungry. Add to it your dog's name, Chili, and now I'm wondering if I ought to make some.

Blessings,
Kathleen
Anonymous said…
Truly a handsome dog. I love that kind of dog. Ole Yellar is a favorite at this grannies house too. MY kids loved it and now the grands. Gosh I would be afraid to go out after dark. But I can't run very fast these days. Blessings. Love your stories.
QMM
love the story and ole yellow!!
Zuzana said…
Beautiful! Indeed there is nothing like the bond between a dog and his owner.
I only have a cat, but I can imagine the way you feel about your pets.
I am fascinated by the place you live at. So wild and free and so undisturbed. I have a lovely home, but I would prefer living in the country side, without neighbors.;)
♥Mimi♥ said…
I know Old Yeller all too well and can't watch it or read again...I sob way too much.

I see you're thinking of breeding. I don't have to tell you that the breed of dog you have is determined, strong willed and needs a job to do and a lot of training. Without those things they can get into a lot of trouble. Shelters hear all too often that the owners are giving up their dogs because they just bit off more than they could chew when they picked a certain breed.

Think twice, please. Those dogs are wonderful but a challenge and you could be breeding pups that will end up without homes.
jan said…
We see an occasional coyote, when we get a bit out of town. The last one crossed an empty state highway in front of us, sauntering into the desert alone. They always look a little shifty...

I am glad your Chili came out of it relatively unscathed!
A belated thank you for visiting my blog recently and leaving a comment.
That's a great story and wonderful photos of Chili - how brave is he!!
I can't imagine what its like to have coyotes roaming around nearby - the worst we get around here are foxes but they can still do a lot of damage to hens.
I love the content of your blog - I'll be back soon.

Jeanne
audrey y said…
This is amazing but I had a terrible dog fight myself right outside my apartment door, where oyou don't expect that sort of thing.

A neighbor of mine walks his service dog, Rowdy several times a day. I saw him coming from my window and opened the door to say, "HI"...at the same time I looked up to see the dangerous dog from across the street clear the high fence and bound to our side of the road and attack Rowdy. The barks and growls of both animals raised such an awful noise. You can believe I had the door closed by that time. My neighbor's dog was hurt with one of his paws bitten through but has now been taken care of by a vet. I suppose it could have been worse.

I'm glad your Chili came home before he got in to more serious trouble.

Good story telling

Audrey
bv said…
i just had to chime in..i think a very responsible breeder will have a clear head about placement. yes, there are many dogs, cats, horses and even birds at find themselves homeless. i know 'cuz we have taken many in. i don't think this would be you. i lay in bed and listen to the coyotes in the wind...and some times worry about a close fight. that's where we close to live...and we are blessed.
Cynthia Moody said…
Mimi and BV make good points. Anyone breeding dogs must be careful to be responsible about placement. I have given the breeding idea some thought--I have friends and relatives who like Chili so well and I don't think I'd have trouble placing a litter in good homoes. Having said that, the thought still gives me pause...we'll see.

As for the coyotes, I love having them out here. Their howl is something I listen for and they are not a problem to us. However,once we get chickens, we'll see if my tune changes! C
MsTypo said…
This post made me realize how much i miss having a dog.
KathyB. said…
We have many, and I mean MANY coyotes that seem to be enjoying the good life very close to our home. Some nights we can turn our flashlights on and aim them towards the woods within a few yards of our home and see the light reflected back in many,many coyote eyes.Kind of scary to see how outnumbered we and our dogs are by the coyotes..and to know also that only our chain-link pens keep our poultry from becoming meals to the hungry, howling masses.( and they have in the past, yes indeed)

I think Chili needs a mate too, and more protection for you and yours.

As for the video, I could not watch it, would you really send me to bed in tears?I own 4 yellow Labs...
Big D said…
I agree - that is one heck of a story. Go Chili!
The Blonde Duck said…
Popped in to say hello! What a fun blog!
Well, I can certainly know how you feel. Coyotes and bobcats are our worst predators here. I have lost so many loved pets because of them. I just love the movie and book Old Yeller! Loved reading this post! blessings,Kathleen
kath001 said…
We have coyotes too...they come with the territory, so to speak.

And I think that Sassy Granny and Eggs in My Pocket and I could make up a gang of our own...so many Kathleens! LOL
Liz Harrell said…
Wow. What a dog. What would we ever DO without dogs?

And I CANNOT watch Ole Yellar. I'll get dehydrated from all the sobbing and boo-hooing.
Jody Blue said…
Way to guard against the marauders!!! I'm putting Ol Yeller on the list for winter movies, I never tire of watching it.
Wow what a story. So glad it ended the way it did. Scary to think how many might have been out there.
Blog surfing and found your site
Hope to return soon
Maggie

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