Four a.m. Coyote Howl

Four a.m. I wake, know it's early, roll over to go back to sleep, when...

A huge coyote howl goes up. We have woods or river on three sides, hear them all the time. Maybe out was just the quiet of the hour, but they sounded closer than I've ever heard them, sounded like a whole lot of them, and a really lot (rough estimates) of pups. Went on for quite a while.

Naturally, when Defender Dog woke to the ruckus, he began running around the house barking. Even pawed at the door, which he usually never does.

From bed, I just told him what a good dog he is. Don't usually encourage the barking, but I'm glad to let the coyotes know he's here. Dog finally settled back on his bed, but kept barking with practically every breath, until it became a quiet little arf, then finally stopped. Good dog.

So, if the coyotes are thriving, I'm wondering if maybe I ought to start thinking about maybe arming up. What do you think? I'm not speaking metaphorically. But I could be.