First, we are all fine :)!
Second, this is another “Wild Kingdom” story and I am unsure if there were any victims…
Onward.
About 10:30 a.m. (Sunday morning), I went out intending to do some yard chores. Bear came with me. Auggie was out somewhere. Bear was extra excited and could barely stand still for his collar which is unusual. Then we heard noises of an animal in distress. It sounded like a bird.
Bear started barking and his hackles were up but thankfully he came to me and I leashed him on the 3 foot lead I keep in my pocket for such events.
We went toward the sound which was coming from the state land. Halfway there I tripped over a rock and went down but thankfully on softish ground. I got up quickly and there was Auggie trotting toward home and about 50 feet behind is a fox and it is making the sound Bear and I heard. The fox was moving toward Auggie but it is trotting also, i.e. not running. Bear is ballistic by now, but not pulling me badly.
The fox saw Bear and me and turned around away from us. Auggie kept moving toward the house, but he was not running and he was moving normally, i.e. did not look injured. Bear quieted and then the fox turned back toward Auggie. I yelled, Bear barked and the fox turned away again.
By now, Bear and I were between Auggie and the fox. Bear wanted to go the fox direction but came with me on lead, looking back toward the fox often. Auggie stayed ahead of us moving toward the house. We all got inside.
Auggie did not have any obvious wounds. I ran hands over all of him, ruffled hair … no blood and he did not react as if in pain and he moved fine but immediately went behind the kitchen chair which is not usual. I left him for a bit and then pulled the chair away and examined him again…nothing.
I can only guess that there are fox kittens – Bear has been wanting to go to an area on the state land where we never go so I suspect they are there. I’ve heard sounds, but they sound so bird-like that I didn’t suspect fox or skunk. But, I found some videos with fox vocalizations and they sound like what we heard and also like the adult. AND both Bear and Auggie reacted to them. Bear was up on the chair barking and running to every window. Auggie hid. I felt really bad – usually they do not pay attention to computer sounds, but it was so like what we just heard, I guess. Maybe Auggie just got too close to the den?
The aftermath…all of that adrenalin!
Both of them, down for the count.
Me: I have been nursing a sore hip flexor and knee and it was just about better until I fell. I caught that leg on a rock. I probably could have prevented the fall if I’d not had Bear on leash. By the time we got home, I could barely put weight on the leg, but I immediately took 3 Advil and then iced both my hip and my knee and have been icing and also walking around every 30 minutes at least. It feels much better so hopefully just a minor setback.
Today’s planned yardwork will have to wait.
This is after I listed to the videos with the fox vocalizations.
YIKES!
It took about 15 minutes and another walk for Bear to calm down.
I felt horrible about playing the video.
Finally, Bear and Auggie settled…
The morale of the story: stay close to your Beardog!
***Edit 5/4/2015
I’m pleasantly surprised that my leg feels fine this morning – yea!
And kind of replaying what I saw yesterday, I am guessing that there was no confrontation, but that Auggie probably got closer to the den and kits (I’m assuming there is a den and kits) than the fox(es) liked – and was being warned off.
I think, if there had been any action, both Auggie and the fox would have been running.
If you listen or know the fox sounds (google “fox vocalizations”), they sound awful.
