This afternoon, we put Max out for an afternoon relief break. As I started to busy myself with something I heard a woof from the side of the house (his trolley runs along that side of the house). Before I could get to him he started barking more seriously. I went out to bring him in and ...
Oh CRAP! Not more than 20-30 feet from him, in the next yard (remember the only fences in our subdivision are low and open to allow flow of wildlife. Of course, I yelled "Max!" Of course he wouldn't/couldn't hear me. Then the moose started moving toward him. Still on the other side of the fence, but we're talking a fence almost low enough for me to cross over and an animal whose belly hangs well above that same fence. It is not an obstacle to a moose.
For about a tenth of a second I thought about going down the stairs to grab his tether and bring him back, then survival kicked in. I yelled, I clapped my hands. I yelled some more.
Since yelling was doing no good, thank goodness I remembered the air horn, a portable canned air boat horn. By the time I grabbed it from just inside the back door to when I got back outside, the moose had come closer.
At least it was only a bull. This time of year it's the cows with calves that are the most unforgiving.
At one point Max was within less than a foot of our fence and the moose was within 2-3 feet of it on the other side. I blasted that little air horn. At first the moose didn't react. Then he moved a little past Max and squatted the tiniest little bit and peed a little bit. Maybe that was his bookmark for unfinished business, maybe it was a message to not stop here. Then he moved on.
Whew! For years I have been terrified that one day we'll get out there too late, or not be able to do anything but watch. This was probably the closest we've come so far. As much as I love Max, I'm not going to go down and do hand-to-hoof combat with a half-ton pissed of powerful animal.
No photos - it was much too important to convince that bull moose to move along than to get his photo.
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