Long Live Rocky!

In February, one of our dogs showed up at the front door with a gaping wound on the inside of his right rear leg that extended into the stomach. The hide, viciously torn, flapped around the bone, and red and pink tinges of blood tainted the ground from the punctured stomach. His injury was deep, but he was able to stand and move. Dazed, obviously in pain, he snapped at strangers who were willing to help. Rocky received urgent care, underwent surgery, and required treatment for almost three weeks. All of it was pretty expensive and traumatic.

Afterward, I realized how little I knew about such attacks. What happened? Was it by another dog or more than one? Or was it by an animal in the wild?

First, our family thought that maybe he got hung up on a barbed wire fence that ripped him open, but the evidence fit more the description of an attack. Beneath the stifle joint (a term I just learned) were claw or teeth marks where he was grabbed and jerked backward. Since we did not see the incident, we could only guess that he was dragged by at least one rear leg and pounced upon. But by what?

Rocky lives in a sparsely populated semi-desert area at the base of low-rolling mountains. Only two other uncontrolled dogs visit, and one is particularly aggressive, but they tend to stay outside the fence surrounding our house and adjacent structures. The more aggressive one is a husky. Having watched him challenge Rocky many times, we know that the husky makes a stand, then charges directly at Rocky, immediately clamping down on the back of the neck. The two wrestle side to side until one shakes off the other. Rocky holds his own against the husky. The companion dog of the husky is shorter and friendlier but will sometimes follow the husky’s lead. He is also half the size of Rocky who weighs 87 pounds. Rocky too has a companion who warns when the other two dogs suddenly appear.

If neither of these two visiting dogs attacked Rocky, what did? The possible list includes coyotes, wolves, badgers, bobcats, porcupines, cougars, and bears. We have met them frequently in twenty years. Run-ins with porcupines are the most common. We often extract quills from the dogs unless they are too numerous or close to the eyes. Then, we rely on a veterinarian.

Nothing is so terrifying as feeling the power of a cougar in his world or a bear strolling along peacefully on all fours until he spies you and suddenly stands to tower over you. We have also unexpectedly come close enough to bobcats to hear them meow like domestic cats. At night, we expect a lone wolf to howl nearby, to which our second dog howls a response. All these creatures are thrilling to encounter, but each brings risk and threat. Again, which one attacked Rocky?

The pet hospital did not narrow the list down at all. Afterward, I tried to find photos showing the biting patterns of wild animals and how they stalk. None were available. However, I did learn that the badger, described as mean and tenacious if not respected, leaves a ruffled bite, much like an unraveled seam, and that most animals clamp the back of the neck as Rocky and the husky do.

Ideally, I had hoped to find a library of illustrated wounds that wild animals make, and their stalking and attack patterns drawn out for dummies like me. Because I failed to come close to meeting that goal, I ask readers for help. If you can identify wounds made by animals previously mentioned, please write to Soje using the contact form.

There was one other unexplored possibility for Rocky's attacker. A local sheepherder suggested that it had been Bigfoot. We kept our smirks to ourselves; lucky we did because he was earnest. His sheep were similarly attacked or killed, and he was sure it was by Bigfoot. Not surprisingly, other sheepherders may agree, but their stories must wait until another time. For now, it is enough to admit that after fruitless research, I have come around to the sheepherder's idea. Bigfoot is as good a possibility as any!

Only Rocky knows for sure what happened, and he is mum. Yet, this mystery is part of life sixty to ninety miles from any city in any direction. In this wide-open area, pets provide the only warning and protection in dangerous situations. They take care of us as much as we care for them. Since his life-threatening encounter, Rocky has become wiser. He is more defensive, aggressive, and alert. We are comforted by the change and are safer as a result. Long live Rocky!