It snowed here the other day. That in and of itself would not be so remarkable except that it hasn’t snowed appreciably (I learned that word from Logan) in some time. Bear and I like the snow. It makes everything appear clean and fresh, and Bear really enjoys racing me outside when it snows so that he can be the first one to make and leave tracks all over our yard, as he did the other day. But he noticed something different (at least to him) this time: other tracks in the snow outside the fence to our yard.
“Cadbury,” Bear asked, “what are those? They don’t look like our tracks, and I know you didn’t make them because I’ve been with you constantly since before the snow started.”
“Those are coyote tracks, Bear” to which Bear replied, “What is a coyote?”
I had to smile at that, because I had once asked the very same question of Logan, and I gave Bear the same answer I had received so many years ago.
“You and I are dogs, Australian Shepherds to be exact, and as such we belong to a family of animals the humans call ‘canines.’ Coyotes, wolves and foxes also belong to that family, and so you could say that we are all related, though at the same time we are different in very many ways. I have always thought of coyotes as being most similar to wolves, though coyotes generally are smaller. They are most active hunting for food at night, at sunset and sunrise, and I’ve only seen them in our neighborhood during their mating season, which is right about now. They try to avoid humans (which is another reason they are mostly active at night) but can become aggressive with dogs, especially during the mating season, so it is a good idea to give them wide berth (another Logan saying).”
“Are we safe? Should I be worried?” asked Bear.
“Well, so long as we don’t try to pick a fight with them, we should be fine. We have the fence around our yard to protect us, and we are both big enough that a coyote would likely think twice about picking a fight with us. To my mind, the best policy is to just ‘live and let live.’ So let’s just focus on living our lives in peace with our humans and let the coyotes go about their own business.”
That answer seemed to satisfy Bear. But it started me thinking about certain behaviors of the humans I’d observed, both in the past and just recently.
Over the years, Logan had taught me quite a lot about the humans, and I’ve gained even more insight listening to and watching their television while curled up comfortably by their feet at the couch (I wonder if they realize I can do that?). In recent years, I’ve noticed the rise of great tensions among the “television humans,” with some of them raising their voices and arguing in angry tones, almost like coyotes snarling and howling at the moon. The nastiness of those interactions left me concerned that there could never be a peaceful reconciliation among all the conflicting opinions; I know that that has been a real source of concern and sadness for our own humans for some time.
And yet, something appears to have changed recently: just as the weather has gotten colder, it seems that the icy relationships among some humans have begun to thaw. While the television humans continue to disagree, often quite strongly, there seems to be less appetite for the nastiness and name-calling of before. The overall tone has softened, if only by a little bit, and I feel that there may be a growing sense of optimism among the humans, or at least the humans we live with. It is as if the attitude of “I am completely right (or ‘good’) and you are therefore completely wrong (or ‘bad’)” is giving way to that of “We can agree to disagree, but ultimately we all want what is best for everyone.” If I am right, then life will only get better for me, Bear and our humans.
Logan would be amused at the thought that, finally, the humans are learning from the dogs.
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