Last Saturday it was coyotes, in between a few deer, but today Ophelia and Horatio encountered their first moose.  What's the plural for moose?

 

This morning we ran from the Idaho border back into Washington.  Four miles into our 10 mile run, along the raging Spokane River, pack scout Ophelia and then Horatio spotted the biggest animal they'd ever seen.  Cautiously they neared, slowly they circled, sniffing the air at an animal with it's head 8 feet off the ground.   They paused five feet away, and thankfully got no closer because all of a sudden, there was a crash as the Mother Moose, with her head 11 feet off the ground, split apart the bushes hiding her to rush to her calf's defense.  Luckily she ran head first into a tree branch that allowed us enough time to scamper by.

 

The problem was we only had a mile to go before we were suppose to turn around and go back toward the Moose.  I tried teaching the Weims a new word that would mean "Run for the Hills" as I screamed "MOOSE!".  I tried feeding them both treats so they'd stay closer.  I tried testing my legs to see if I could still sprint but I felt gassed from too much basketball this week.  When our turn around point came, I decided to go another half mile to give the moose a chance to escape and hide.  As I feared, as soon as we turned around to head back to the car, both Ophelia and Horatio sprinted off to find those huge animals again.

 

I couldn't keep up.  We had no alternative route back to the car unless we swam a 100 yards across a river swollen with snow melt or wanted to jump the interstate fence and play dodge ball with I-90 truck traffic.  Neither dog had barked during the first encounter.  There were no antlers and the charge had been short lived and fairly slow.  Yet, it was apparently a Mother Moose and large calf, I suppose from last spring.  Both actually looked pretty mangy, but damn were they tall and huge.

 

I still heard no barking.  Did moose kick like horses and cows?  Could they be faster than Weimeraners?  Would my two be overly aggressive?  Could I carry a adult weim with broken ribs?   I rounded a corner and off away from the river, on the other side of the trail, were the two espresso colored mastodons on giraffe legs.  My grey wonders saw them of course but weren't going any closer.  Momma Moose was ready this time.  She had a clear path and was on the offensive.  We all moved slowly towards each other waiting for one of us to make a decisive move.

 

I always heard that it's the old and weak in a pack that get picked off because they're at the rear, unable to keep up.  I was grateful my more youthful and energetic pack mates had decided that going any further without me was unwise.  From bicyling in long pace lines, and riding many miles alone, I've learned that when a dog gives chase it's best to let them set their angle of pursuit, and then sprint so they can't adjust on the fly and they go skidding by - just missing the last rider in the group.  Could I avoid a charging Moose doing the same or would I be the old and weak pack member picked off the back of the pace line?

 

We all crept forward together, a little faster now, stepping higher now, 30 feet, 20 feet, 10 feet, NOW, RUN, SPRINT, "MOOSE!!" and we grazed by getting no closer.  Heh, that was almost fun.  Dogs should get a treat.  I can pause to pee. Wait, why is that stupid Moose still coming at us, followed by it's calf?  Doesn't it know the game is over?  Damn that moose.  For the next mile, they jogged after us.  Ophelia hunted ahead but Horatio kept circling back, standing in his best show stance - the only thing he really knows how to do - looking as fierce as possible.  But every time I'd think the moose had surely given up the chase, I'd turn around and there she'd be, gaining enough ground that I'd have to pick it up again.  Finally we got closer to houses and a road and that was the end of Ophelia and Horatio's first Moose on the Loose encounter.

 

We're all back home now, regalling Christine with our adventure.  When I say "MOOSE" two grey haired weim's put their ears at attention, cock their heads, and grin.

Glenn E. Tanner
Attorney at Law
North 901 Adams
Spokane, WA 99201
206-937-3699 (Seattle number, will reach me in Spokane)
509-244-6353 (Spokane Phone)
509-455-6132 (Spokane fax)
www.thecollaborativedivorce.com