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This is the story of Racket, one of our favorite pets.
He is a beautiful looking mixed breed dog of unknown origin,
german shepard in appearance with some unusual coyote like characteristics. It is these
unusual coyote characteristics that makes his story so interesting.
Racket was found by a friend of mine when she was riding horses in a very remote area far
from any homes, roads or towns. She often rode with her dogs traveling along by her side.
Marlow, the alpha dog of the pack suddenly flushed something out of the high grass. It was
a young pup about three weeks old, bloated with starvation, scared to death and screaming terribly.
My friend couldn't resist, she scooped him up, placed him on her saddle and appropriately
named him "Racket".
Contrary to expectations, Racket recovered well and began his journey toward a strong, healthy adulthood.
Several things stood out about Racket as he grew and searched for
his place within the large pack of dogs that lived on her ranch.
He was unusually kind, affectionate and
loving, never showing aggression toward people or other dogs, not even when threatened.
As one might guess, this mild manner placed him at the bottom of the totem pole in the dog pack's
dominance hierarchy. As a matter of fact, the other dogs jumped him often, bullying him often.
Consequently, my friend kept racket in the house with her, outside of harms way, as often as possible.
However, Racket did live on a working ranch and it just wasn't feasible for him to stay in all the time.
Once outside he often took off
trotting, more than running, into the woods and across the distant pastures. These departures didn't appear
to be instigated by his low placement within the dog pack, but rather by a desire to hunt, wander and explore.
After a day or two he would always return, exhausted however, from these long deliberate trips.
He must have been a skilled hunter because he often returned proudly with rabbit in tow.
These hunting trips required a steady deliberate kind of energy, but in general his personality
was laid back and mellow, and in this way he fit into the household setting very well.
As a matter of fact, when home, he could be so quite you would forget he was there.
About 6 months after my friend found Racket, I acquired a female Standard Poodle puppy named Emily.
I enjoyed taking Emily to my friends ranch where she could run and play across the
country side. Emily fell madly in love with Racket and he shyly accepted her friendship. We were
all glad to see that Racket finally had a friend.
Emily looked forward to her trips to the ranch to see Racket and if he was not there when she
arrived, she would anxiously wait and watch the horizon
for his return. Once spotted, returning home from one of his long hunts,
she would run to greet him with exuberant enthusiasm.
Now, there is something you should know before we continue our story.
Racket has the blockish head of a canine but he has the body, howl, gait and mannerisms
of a coyote. Opinions vary on the issue, but many, including some of the old timer country boys,
believe that Racket is part coyote, also known as a coydog.
It was his coyote gait and appearance that posed the greatest threat to Racket’s existence,
for his long hunting trips meant crossing neighboring cattle ranches. One day an
area rancher came by to warn my friend that he had mistaken Racket for a coyote and
that he had almost shot him before he realized it was a dog.
My friend and I decided that Racket, now 1 years old, had had enough adventure and heartache for one lifetime
and that it was time for him to become more "domestic". Our standard
poodle was thrilled to welcome Racket into our home where he happily adjusted to a quieter, safer
lifestyle. After being bullied so often by the pack of dogs on his previous ranch home,
he was happy to be in an environment where he was adored rather than attacked. He didn't seem
to miss the long hunts and cross country adventures either. Now, when allowed to
run the acreage he finds a large shade tree, lays down and watches the other dogs do all the running around.
To this day, he still doesn't fear bite. When examined by the veterinarian he usually
lays down on his side, goes limp and "plays dead" - possibly a coyote trait. His metabolism
must be very slow, for he seldom shows any sign of energy and he gains weight easily. In nine years,
he has only been sick once, his health is still excellent and he recently passed a physical and blood test with flying colors.
After eight years, Emily is still his best friend, our dogs all love him and Racket is still the king of our castle.
We wouldn't give up our past, present or future with Racket for anything, but his case is unusual.
Experiences related by others indicate that some coydogs can be very aggressive and quick to bite.
In general, they are seldom considered suitable as household pets, and they should never be intentionally "created".
Adult coyotes in the wild should not be approached, they can be dangerous and attacks on humans have been documented.
Puppies should never be taken from their mother, den or environment unless abandoned and helpless as was the case with Racket.
Even then, it would be best to turn them over to an expert rescue organization.
If your interested in learning more about coydogs, we have an interesting coydog article you might like to read.
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