A blog post by Josiah, the alert Yorkie puppy
Spring is on its way, and it’s stirring up all the creatures around the farm. It sure is noisy outdoors. Miss Janet is helping me learn how to process new sounds and scents.
There’s a new sound at night and a strong smell that goes with it. It feels like danger to me, so my Yorkie instincts go on high alert.
Miss Janet says they’re called coyotes and yes, they are a danger. I’m not wrong about that. She tells me it is very unlikely they would walk onto our farm. That’s good to know.
But she also says when we go out at night, we will be staying close to the house, and I will stay close to her and the flashlight. She tells me she is trained in how to respond if a coyote visits.
She also doesn’t want me near the field at night because if I bark at a shadow, every dog on nearby farms will join in. I don’t see what’s wrong with that. It’s not a bad idea to keep everyone alert, and I love hearing my neighbors. But she says the humans don’t love that idea. Silly humans. They don’t realize the importance and joy of an evening bark fest.
Miss Janet is also trying to help me sort out what’s what because the mixture of new sounds and smells has been spooking me. I was born in a big city at the tail end of spring. So this is my first new spring on the farm. I’m not sure what’s what yet.
On a recent evening walk, I smelled the coyotes. And I saw a scary, tall, dark shape in the field. I started shaking.
When we got back inside, I went into my playpen fortress and immediately rearranged the furniture. I moved my bed to the back where I felt more secure and my toys to the front so I could throw them if an intruder came in. I got into bed for my evening nap but didn’t feel settled.
In the middle of the night, I took a chance and broke one of Miss Janet’s most important rules: I woke her up. Miss Janet doesn’t like to be disturbed from her sleep. But as a Yorkie, I have a responsibility to report any threatening activity.
I heard the coyotes howling outside. All I could think was they had come onto the farm! I had to alert Miss Janet, even at the risk of breaking her sleep rule.
I growled and growled till she woke up. She heard them howling. She wasn’t upset with me. She understands that we Yorkies feel responsible for patrolling our property and alerting our pack leader to danger.
While she wasn’t upset, she also wasn’t worried. Very calmly, she said, “Thank you, Josiah. I hear it. All gone.” And she went back to sleep.
That told me she appreciated my alert, but the coyotes weren’t a threat at that time. I know what “all gone” means when it comes to special snacks. It means no more snacks will be appearing at that moment. When she said “all gone” about the coyote sound, I guess she didn’t think the coyotes would make an appearance that I needed to worry about.
Miss Janet told me the coyotes may sound and smell close by, but they are up on the ridge on the other side of the farm. She says my ears and nose are just that strong.
The next morning, she took me on a perimeter check so I could see that no coyote was on the farm. I smelled along the ground and didn’t see any coyote footprints or scents in the grass or dirt.
Instead, I did a deep investigation of some hoof prints. Miss Janet said they belonged to a harmless deer. I realized that scary shape I saw in the field, the night I smelled the coyotes, was just the deer.
All of this exploration is helping me sort all these new sights, smells, and sounds in my brain. It still shakes me up when I smell or hear a coyote. But I’m noticing they are not close by. Miss Janet is careful. But not worried. That helps me know I can stand down from high alert.
I’m still watchful and attentive. As the only Yorkie on the farm, I am still responsible for notifying my pack leader of any potential threat. I’ve recategorized the coyotes as “distant threat but not a frequent visitor.”
But if I ever see one dare cross the line, I will bark so loudly, every dog in the neighborhood will join in the alarm.
Stay safe out there!
Josiah
The Inquisitive Yorkie 