This started about a month ago with my brothers dog. Whether I walk her or my brother does, we had a couple favorite walks. The dog always seemed to enjoy most one that left his house, down the road onto another road and out in bordering fields to dig for mice and kill things. SHe's vicious on mice, moles and I have personnally watched her kill 3 woodchucks. Vicious and deadly stalks and attacks. She also killed 2 of the neighbors chickens, several small rabbits, a duck, a crow and has chased a turkey etc. She's not afraid of much of anything. Well about a month ago taking the favored walk that finishes by walking up a hedgerow that's about 50 yards across and ends in the woods. There are some old 4 wheeler trails in the woods that lead through the woods and you can come back out across from my house. When dog stays with me, the route is reversed... through the woods first. Probably 1 1/2 mile trip. So my brother starts up the hedgerow and the dog balks about 30 yards into the hedgerow that''s probably 400 yards long before it enters the woods. Brother calls her to come. She always minds. She bolts and runs back to the road, reversing the path of the walk. The hedgerow is on a hill. My brother calls and screams and the dog isn't having any of it. She runs all the way home. Brother calls wife on cell phone. dog is home in a flash.... never stopped running. Another day.... same routine. A few more attempts.... dog that used to love to enter that woods to chase squirrells, turkeys and whatever won't go near that woods. This morning he tried to lure her up an earlier narrow hedgerow on the other side of the field by trying to get her interested in some deer tracks in the snow. He had her attention and she was going right along until she got 200 yards from the woods. The dog stops, raises her head, smells and bolts for home.... running the whole way non stop again. I just took the dog for a walk only not from my house but my brothers. Followed the preferrd walk, did the fields. We got just into it really. The wind was blowing from that woods across 500 yards of fields right to us. Dog became alert, raised her head real errect and with nose up started testing the wind. She turned and galloped to the house. What in the hell can be in there to spook her so. She's never out running free so she hasn't been in there alone to get in trouble. We're always with her. It's wierd. My house is across the road from this woods and it's surrounded by woods. She has no problem with the woods on my side of the road. This used to be her favorite walk and now you couldn't drag her in there dead. We have coyotes.... but we've always had them. Hell they cross the road 40 yards from my house all the time. We did have a couple bear sightings in the last year.... but I haven't seen any bear tracks in the snow. It's strange.
Another time a year and I would say she got a whiff of a bear....then a again I remember peppering a bear on the front porch of my mothers house in feb... So I still an thinking bear.
Investigate what. I drove over there in the snow... found deer tracks, coyote, fox and all the same things that are on my side of the rode. Nothing unusual.... not even big foot tracks.
i have seen this happen with some pretty good pheasant dogs, once was a skunk and the other was a porcupine. either of those would have been pretty obvious to you or your brother, so its gotta be the guy from the jack links commercials. that guy shows up in all kinds of woods.
Put her/him on a lead and walk the woods with him. Maybe the dog saw a pack of wolfs and won't go back. Don't be sceered David, Do It.
I think I'd be curious enough to thoroughly comb those woods. Bigfoot drive, who's in? I bet Harry Henderson's in there.
It's been my experience that dogs don't fear wolves initially. Infact, much to their demise, their reaction is quite the opposite, especially if they send the alpha 8itch out first. That's how they lured our old golden.
Exactly. This is the sole reason I never took my dog shed hunting in Ontario. Too many wolves and I was afraid he would have a run in with them and the results would not have been good.
Ya'll really didn't help. LOL But then, I guess I didn't expect help. A couple things people mentioned were skunks. She did have a skunk run in last winter early. I had to do the bath and all that crap out doors in the snow and repeat it the next day as the odor was still there. 2 weeks later we took her to a doggie wash in town where it was warm and their water. LOL Anyway..... there was a cougar killed a dog about 10 miles from here last year. I guess that's a possibility. But 2 weeks ago loggers moved in and are cutting the woods that was cut last winter. Go figure. I think these guys are just cleaning up some scrub white pines for horse stall shavings. Still, the dog is weird. This morning she got to the same spot she got to yesterday and turned for home.
I ain't "sceeered" of no aniimal or person. I've seen the worst they can offer. I just ain't into dying yet. LOL If NYbowhunters Bigfoot is in them woods.... well I want him to leave. LOL
