Mom said we had a first…well, first time for her anyway.
Sissy Coyote came calling!
This is how it happened:
The night was beautiful, a clear, full bright moon hung in the sky just above the cottonwood tree. The light from the full moon lit up everything, casting sliver and blue shadows everywhere. Fuzzy and I were having a great time sitting on the back step of the back porch. Every once in a while Fuzzy would see something run across the road out by the tractor sheds, and then he would take off running and barking! HEY YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON OUR PLACE! Then I would follow hollering as loud as I could.
It was great fun.
I really don’t think Fuzzy can see very well anymore, but what the heck, he sees enough that we get to chase ‘whomever or whatever’ off the place. If they really aren’t there, who is going to complain? NOT ME!!!
So we had a great time until Mom came out and turned all the yard lights on….
“What is happening out here, boys, are the Chickens safe?” She asked giving each of us a wonderful pet on the head and all over the body.
Hummmmmmmmmmmm
I sort of think she knows we are just having fun.
So we all three walk out to the chicken house, opened the door, and turned on the light in the chicken house.
“One, two, three, four” counted Mom. “Well, nothing bad going on here.”
The chickens were rather startled to have the light turned on, but they didn’t move. They continued to sit on their perch and sort of talked to each other about the lights and stuff like that.
Mom, Fuzzy and I all walked back to house. But she took the long way…we checked on the cows, all asleep, we walked by the grain bins, nothing happening there, except they were all sparkly in the moonlight. Really rather pretty, I thought.
Then we stopped at the tractor sheds, Mom said she wondered if there were some stray cats out here (in the tractor shed) that Fuzzy and I were barking at. We just looked very sincerely at her and I thumped my tail really vigorously, Fuzzy just shook his little stub of a tail, but he did shake it really hard. We wanted Mom to think she was right.
She must have as we all walked back to the house, got many pets and rubs and scratches and told good night. We were also warned to not do any more barking if it’s just for fun as Dad will be the next person out to see what the problems were.
So we were silent. BUT…we did chase a couple of cats, and a really neat squirrel, or at least I thought it was a squirrel…but the highlight was when the FOX came through the yard.
Fuzz and I were sitting out by the woodpile, next to the chicken house, just taking in the night…when right out of the corral a fox came, padded by the garbage cans and almost ran right into to us!
I sat up and barked HALLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MOM COME QUICK!!!!
Both Fuzzy and I were so excited that I’m sure it came through in our yips and barks. Mom came out of the house fast…it looked like she may have been asleep. We kept up the barrage of barking, I pointed down the road, Mom flipped on the yard lights, I ran back to her really fast and twirled and swirled around and headed back to Fuzzy who was looking down the road sort of prancing for us to get there.
We made it just in time for Mom to see the bushy tail sliding under the barbed wire fence; she flung the flashlights light into the field and saw the red fox heading as fast as its little legs could go to the drain ditch across the way.
Mom said it didn’t have anything in its mouth!
“You boys sure are doing a good job tonight,” she said. We licked her hands and she petted us all over.
After all that it was starting to get rather nippy outside so we decided to head to our snug and cozy dog houses. I went in first, because I feel the cold before Fuzz, but I heard him come in a few minutes later.
We were sleeping really good…sound as you might say. When in the yard, RIGHT BY THE CLOTHES LINE was SISSY the Coyote! And she was …WOW! Some kind of beautiful! She started making this pretty strange howl/bark thing that had Fuzzy and I out of our dog houses in a flash!
We both barked and howled back at her, but she was NOT afraid. It was getting close to morning…I could see the rim of almost light in the east along the Paonia Mountains…we were frenzied in our barking.
Both Mom and Dad came out of the house FAST!!!!
Dad had his gun!
This was a good thing, because while Fuzz and I were looking at Sissy the Witching Coyote, there were four other lurking coyotes over by the hen house!!!
They were trying to raid the HEN HOUSE!
BAM!!!
Dad shot the gun!!!
Scared off the coyotes, even pretty Sissy Coyote — Fuzzy and I watched her slink away, well actually melt away into the shadows.
The gun pretty much frightened me also. I yelped just as loud as the gun!
Fuzzy laughed at me. Heck, man! I wasn’t expecting anything like that L.O.U.D sound!
Mom said she didn’t understand why the coyotes were so aggressive this year; a friend of hers said that they are probably coyote-dogs. Which is probably true…lots of people have dropped dogs off out here.
The ditch rider says he has seen a pack of wild dogs down over the hill. So what is living around our place is a mix of coyote/dogs. Dad’s going to talk to the D.O.W. Trapper to see what can be done. Calving season is a few months off (February) we don’t need any coyotes, wild dogs, or coyote-dogs around.
Anyway….this full moon was sure full of fun and excitement! (By the way…Dad wondered why Mom didn’t grab her camera; she usually has it with her all the time. — NOW That would have been cool….a photo of Sissy Coyote! I would pin it up in my dog house. She was that kind of wonderful!)
Boomer
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Danged varmints anyhow! You guys do good work! If you hire out we could use good dogs like you to keep our fox and coyotes away. Renard got our favorite little chicky hen yesterday, right through the door of the coop. Everyone is sad.
LikeLike
Oh my Boomer the adventures you have. Amazing how much movement goes on when the moon is really lighting up the place! Good guard dogs!
LikeLike
Boomer, Bug here. Wow, man, you guys had some real excitement out there! I’m jealous – my mom won’t let me out at night cuz I’m so little and I don’t have a big friend right now. We have coyotes too, but I’m kinda scared of them. My two kitty friends, Sam and Jasper, both got killed by the coyotes so mom says we can’t have any more cats until she goes to the ASPCA and gets us some more big dogs. Unfortunately, somebody dropped off another kitten a couple of days ago, and he’s sweet, but I’m scared he’ll get killed, too. Well, you two did a good job – I think you’re due for a raise – maybe your mom can get ya’ll some big bones or something!
LikeLike
This is one of my absolute FAVORITES, you two sweetie pies. You are some talented storytellin’ pups! (I know Fuzzy would have told the story if he could get a word in edge-wise, so complimenting you BOTH!)
LikeLike
Good job you two. Those bad guys will be back and chances are good dad’s gonna get one. Then you’ll be able to get up close and personal Boomer. Are ya ready?
LikeLike
Dear Fuzzy and Boomer,
That was an exciting night. I would have been barking my head off. Of course, my mom says I do that at every little thing so she ignores me most of the time. I bet she wouldn’t if I did it in the middle of the night. Nessa would be very scared but than she’s afraid of everything.
Take care,
Tripper
LikeLike
You guys have some really exciting nights around there. We are envious
LikeLike
Good dogs!!!
LikeLike
Fuzzy and Boomer………you are very brave……..and mom and dad are very patient in their sleep loss! Come down and help Sophie scare “Shaggy, the badger away! blessings,Kathleen
LikeLike
Who’s a good puppy?!!! You and Fuzzy do a good job of protecting the farm and its people! I like to bark at the coyotes, too. They come to check out the goats and chickens almost every night, but Mom makes sure the electric fence is plugged in to protect them.
Keep on guarding….Love, Lucky (and her Mom, CottonLady)
LikeLike
My favorite story so far! What a wild night for them. I am going to show James your friend’s blog. He will just love all the cowboy pictures.
LikeLike
Great story, Boomer. You two must make getting a night’s sleep challenging, but keeping the varmints away is serious stuff. Too bad Mom missed the photo op.
LikeLike
Boomer, you are a wonderful storyteller!! I could picture the fox and the coyotes as I was reading. You and Fuzzy are great dogs, I’m sure your mom and dad are proud of you!!
LikeLike
I’m glad you and Fuzzy were on the job and kept the home safe. But I think the coyotes purposely sent Sissy Coyote to distract the two of you. I hope you don’t have any more problems with them.
LikeLike
Good dogs! Keeping those coyotes and fox away from the chickens. Maybe mom could reward you each with an egg from those chickens?
LikeLike
Be careful you guys! Coyotes are far too good at being alluring to us dogs! Last winter I almost fell for their tricks – they don’t call ’em “wiley” for nothin’! They tried luring me away from the farm – just one of them – while the rest lay in wait to ambush me. Thank goodness my mom was watching and had her .22 in hand! She was sure a cute coyote, singing her siren song to me, but I’m glad I didn’t fall for it!
LikeLike
Good dogs! Be careful of the coyotes they want to single out one dog at a time. We hear them howling here too:(
LikeLike
Boomer’s accounts of his adventures with Fuzzy are just delightful to read! Tell him to keep it up! The photos of the moon were just beautiful! I loved seeing their pictures as well, even if there was no shot of Sissy Coyote. I could sense how bewitching she is! Years ago when we were still in Texas, we often heard the coyotes at night and saw them occasionally. The man who owned the farm had cows and they calved in the spring, but the coyotes never bothered them. What they did try to do once was lure our 95-pound dog out into the field so they could attack her. It wouldn’t have fared well for them, I am sure, though, because she was a fearless Rhodesian Ridgeback, bred to track and hunt lions in Africa. Once during a very black night she bolted out the door when a pack of the coyotes were very close to the house and I could hear the fight that ensued. I was screaming at her to come back, just terrified she would be harmed or killed. When she did return though she was very cocky–all proud of herself–and without a scratch on her! She had protected her home from those pesky wild creatures! I have never been so relieved! 🙂
LikeLike
Good job boys! And an exciting story to tell, he? 😀
LikeLike