Sunday, February 23, 2014

A Blazing Blur of Fiery Fur

The ass end of winter tends to be unlovely in these parts. The piles of snow and ice by the side of the road are grey with intermingled soot and grit- even the most pristine snowfield has bits of schmutz on its surface. The world presents a dreary face, a monotone gray expanse. Happily, I had a run in with a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) which blazed across my path like a russet comet. While I didn't have an opportunity to photograph the speedy beastie, I took a picture of the tracks it left across our property:




Note the almost perfect "single file" exhibited by the prints, a characteristic of wild canids. In contrast, our canine companions leave two parallel tracks more often:




Those tracks were made by a friend of mine, the companion of my co-worker **REDACTED**. My co-worker sometimes brings him to work, because the property is perfect for an active, intelligent beagle/shepherd mix:




He's a handsome dog, well behaved too. I always enjoy when he comes to the site, though not all of my co-workers agree with me on this.

6 comments:

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Cats: Hey, how can you expect us to work with this damned D.A.W.G. around here?!?!!?

P.S. ExxonMobil CEO sues to block fracking project near his home
~

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

P.S. ExxonMobil CEO sues to block fracking project near his home

Mr Burns don't eat no three-eyed fish!

Smut Clyde said...

an active, intelligent beagle/shepherd mix
Yeah, I can see all the activity going on there.

Smut Clyde said...

Also too, I was expecting Wendogo references. Come back to us with more photos when the pawprints in the snow grow further and further apart -- like huge flying leaps -- and become deformed in outline, and coloured with "a mysterious, reddish tinge that was more like an effect of light than of anything that dyed the substance of the snow itself."

Glennis said...

I didn't know that was the difference of dogs vs wild canid beasties! I will look at coyote footprints differently now!

I'm sad that my dog Jack is unlikely to walk in the snow, because I'd love to see what his footprints would look like during his patented "butt-scoot" play invitation move.

I once knew how to tell bobcat footprint from coyote footprints - its all about the shape of the pad and how its connected to the toes. I better look it up again; my husband saw one the other day.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Yeah, I can see all the activity going on there

I suppose I could have posted a picture of him licking his dong...

Come back to us with more photos when the pawprints in the snow grow further and further apart -- like huge flying leaps -- and become deformed in outline, and coloured with "a mysterious, reddish tinge that was more like an effect of light than of anything that dyed the substance of the snow itself."

Funny, I was considering posting a picture of some willows, because they are starting to get their foliage back.

I once knew how to tell bobcat footprint from coyote footprints - its all about the shape of the pad and how its connected to the toes. I better look it up again; my husband saw one the other day.

Because their claws are retractable, cat prints don't show the claws.

I'd love to dog-sit Jack for a couple of weeks during the winter.