Found a coyote, I think

[RandyBell]

John, Sandy looks like she is growing into quite a little ****'yen, cute as **** any ways.

Randy

 

[Tororider]

Raspy,
Look into clicker training/positive reinforcement. There have been many successes training wild animals with this method.

Love following this thread.

 

[chucko]

Raspy,
Look into clicker training/positive reinforcement. There have been many successes training wild animals with this method.

Love following this thread.

shock collars work good to

 

[DABSGT]

John Great photos.

Glad to see that Sandy is doing for herself but it is also sad.
Many, including my wife and I, will "miss" Sandy when she returns to the wild. Check for your posts and photo's almost every day. Very good looking animal.

Those who fear her wouldn't think twice living next to some one who has not put the love and care into a dog that you have with Sandy. You have done right by Sandy she is alive today thanks to you and your wife.

More people have been injured by "House pets" domestic dogs due to improper training and care than by wild animals.

I'm sure that what ever your decission for Sandy's future is it will be made with her best intrest in mind. I'm glad that I don't need to make it I would miss the little girl.

Best Wishes
David

 

[Raspy]

David,

Thanks so much for your nice comments.

We have made another decision about Sandy and I'll talk more about it when we make further arrangements.

Meanwhile we vaccinated her and wormed her.

This is a heart wrenching problem. She is so innocent and so honest and so cute and so well meaning and fun. She has taught us and many of our friends so much. She has a best friend in our other dog, Bei Bei, who has shown her the ropes and played and mothered her through this whole period. Now we are tying to wean her to the wild by helping her to become more self sufficient before she gets killed by authorities or before she endangers any of the neighbors cats or chickens. I don't see her as a danger, but someone might.

She is outside right now, untethered and playing with a squeak toy while laying in the shade next to the house. I went out and she came over to greet me and let me scratch her tummy.

She really has touched us and she is at peace here. But it could all end at any time, and end with her death, just for being her. Or, if she gets injured and needs a vet, they are required to turn us in if we bring her for help.

Our little pal has no idea what is waiting for her beyond our world here. And we are looking for loopholes.

We may have found a solution and I'll talk more about it within the constraints I have.

The only future for her is in the wild because it's illegal to have her, illegal to transport her, illegal for a vet to treat her and she is considered by many to be simply a nuisance animal, or dangerous. She will also be happy in the wild, provided she can hunt and find her place amongst the other animals.

Meanwhile another day goes by and a few more visitors come to see her. She plays in a tub of water and plays ball with us. She romps around growling and biting with Bei Bei. She naps under a pinion pine in the middle of the day and greets me when I find her. She wanders off to her den area where she has gathered some toys, bones and things. It's her little yard and cave that she developed. There she rests and then returns for a playful visit with us later.

All so cute and educational. So fun and so non threatening. So vulnerable.

Touching.

 

[moored4]

John I have a friend that is a vet and there is not a year goes by that she is not fostering some baby, what we do is there is an inland in the river that is a game preserve, we turn them out on! Just one possibility! Wish you well.

 

[RobertBrown]

Make it a point to document the vaccinations. If she should be accused of biting someone it's important that you can prove that you have had her vaccinated.
I suspect that soon there will be changes in this canine's demeanor.
It may become clear why they(coyotes) are considered to be not suitable for domestication.
She is going to be more indepndent and will venture further away day by day. Most of her travels will occur at night, so you may find her gone in the early morning and returning with the sun. As she matures and reaches puberty, you may find Bei Bei at risk, because there will be visitors that may consider her a threat and vice versa.
I would'nt look for this until around February 2014.
I'm guessing that you can occasionally hear coytoes calling during the night?
What is Sandy's reaction to this?


I still can't see the harm in what you are doing. I can't say as I would do anything different.
I hope that this story has a happy ending and everyone lives happily ever after.

 

[Raspy]

Robert,

Thanks for checking in and the comments.

I went to the link you provided for rabies vaccines and they cannot ship it to Nevada or to California. It's very controlled.

I scheduled a teeth cleaning appointment for Bei Bei with our local vet here and will use that as an opportunity to have a private conversation about Sandy. As non-commital as possible.

We decided to limit our feeding of Sandy to help motivate her to hunt more even though she is not too coordinated yet or very wily with respect to hunting. She has paid little attention to the abundance of rabbits here, but she is eating ants and she will gulp down a lizard if given to her. Horse droppings seem to interest her. She brought a big piece home to her yard and plays with another like a ball. I decided to step in and give her a rabbit. I shot one and presented it to her still warm. I want her to smell it and taste the fresh blood, etc. By the way, this was very hard for me as I'm not a hunter and don't enjoy killing wildlife. But I'm capable and have more than enough firearms. So, within minutes of shooting a rabbit she had it.

She looked it over and after a few minutes she started in on it. Soon she was very full with a bulging stomach. She moved the rest of it to another spot and worked on it the next day. Even growling if I came too close while she was eating. Good.

While I was gone with Bei Bei, she moped around and waited on our porch most of the day. We were gone for a day and a half. Our return brought a very nice greeting with wolf kisses and exposed belly. Very happy. Then pulling on my shirt and pants in a friendly playful tug-of-war and greeting. Searching my hands for treats. As I sit here she streaks by, playful and happy. A mock attack on Bei Bei, a drink, growling by one of them, and she's off. Then back and looking at Bei Bei in a playful attack mode. More romping around and she's off again. Then back and pulling on my pants. All revved up. A nearly full moon, the sun down behind the mountains, the sky graying, animals in the distance yipping, barking, baying, chirping. Evening becoming later. Bei Bei staring toward the distance and listening. A wildfire, beyond the mountain tops, sends a cloud over us scenting the air.
Dampness from a thunderstorm this afternoon settles the dust and awakens the sage. This is why I love this place. Natural, beautiful, unforgiving. Full of wonder. Scenic. Powerful. The distant past touches the present.

A little wild dog grows up playing as a mature one stares at the distant sounds. I look at them both and smile.

Night approaches. Crickets begin.

In a few days we'll journey to her new home and begin the transition. All of us changed.

Meanwhile, I can hardly type this because of her antics. What a playful pest!

 

[Raspy]

I thought I'd post a few more pictures of Sandy.

No news yet on her future, we're working on it, but today she was so much fun and we took some more pictures.

 

[Ridgewalker]

The "harm" if you want to call it that is that she won't be afraid of humans and will get picked off one day by someone with a rifle.

Pretty pup... it's a shame you can't find a place to keep her safe from us humans.