Sunday, June 5, 2016

Moving to Sandpoint

D***

I was going to use the blaze orange during hunting season only, but you are probably right.  I'm not worried about coyotes, even the eastern ones, for several reasons: 1) Ben and Duffy have adjusted to the coyotes here.  They are coyote wise and wouldn't do anything foolish with them in Sandpoint.  Hopefully I will get Jessica that we before we move up there.  2) the house pets coyotes typically kill are small dogs or cats in unprotected back yards.  Duffy is the only dog I will be worried about up there, but he is trail wise.  He is cautious and ready to dart away if threatened.  I've seen him do it.  I will be more worried about raptors.  Duffy doesn't regularly look up.  3) out on a hike with other dogs along, Duffy is fairly safe.  4) I was a USMC rifle coach and have spent a lot of time since with weapons and shooting.  Here I take a Walther 22 on hikes.  Up there if all I expect are coyotes I would take a 9 mm.  I'm not totally happy with either of my two 9 mm for that purpose and might get a Glock once I am up there; which model I don't know at this point.  5) if there is the slightest hint of bear or wolves I have a Mossberg 500 that can be loaded with rifled slugs.  I plan to get a 45-70 once I get up there and work with it compared to the Mossberg to see which one I want to take regularly on hikes.  I am leaning more toward the Henry than the Marlin at this point.  6) I plan to have a fence but I also plan to get a llama to help with the weeds, guard the back yard and carry a pack on hikes.  If one gets a male, has it gelded at age two, it provides first rate protection against predators getting into ones yard.  My dogs will be inside dogs but will have access to a doggy door.  They will rush out if the llama is making a fuss about anything.  7) I am planning to install overhead lights in the back yard in order to be able to see what I'm shooting at should their be a night coyote or wolf invasion.  8) on hikes I would be very surprised if we were attacked by anything.  Our llama, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Irish Terrier, former Marine would probably be left alone by predators who depend on not getting injured.  I hadn't given that much thought to errant hunters but I'll start.

K***

I don't know why I would take any heat from anything I've recently written.  I'll be 82 this coming October and have been doing this sort of thing off and on my whole life.  Someone might think, "well yeah, you have all these plans but they've never been put to the test.  When reality happens you might be overwhelmed," but I have been put to the test.  Up until I was in my 40s I free dived; which means going after fish with a spear gun and without tanks.  I speared all sorts of fish over the years, keeping my freezer full while my kids grew.  Years later I discovered that my spear-fishing translated into a steady hand while hunting.  Someone would be right in saying I have never shot big land animals, but with the experience I have I don't believe I would flinch if it came to that.  My dogs won't be in any more danger than I am, and I expect to put myself forward as necessary to deal with any threats.

If truth be known I would apply heat (if that is a good word) to those who erect boundaries about themselves and their dogs rather than learn and having them learn to deal with what's out there.   A modern person doesn't need to but 1) the sedentary modern not only flees where no man pursueth (my impression from zillions of hikes at night when my dogs and I were essentially the only one out there) but shortens his life as a result of inadequate exercise.  2) he doesn't familiarize his dogs with "what is out there" and so when a dog is confronted he is nonplussed and at a disadvantage.  3) and if he doesn't get enough exercise his dog probably doesn't either making him even more ill-equipped to deal with threats.

But you are right and I have taken heat in the past.  One irate breeder turned me in to Homeland Security as a terrorist threat.  One day two gigantic men in suits showed up on my front porch wanted to know if I had said the things in an email.  They had a copy in their hands which they showed me.  They were my words saying something similar to what I've written above, but in an on going argument in which a few forum members said they would never put there dogs in the sort of danger I was describing.  The forum member (could have been an RR-Folk breeder but I'm not sure.  This occurred before I got Sage and I was briefly on other breed forums, the Vizsla forum for example) took an immense dislike to me for putting my dogs in danger and thought I was some sort of ill-defined threat.  The guys on my front porch were pretty sure I wasn't a terrorist even before they came out.  I had Ginger at the time.  She was as sociable as Ben now is.  I called her out front so they could see my dangerous dog (the lady said I was turning my dogs into dangerous threats).  One of the guys said something like, "yeah, yeah but we don't appreciate wasting our time on nuisance calls like this; so quit provoking her."  "Who," I asked, but they wouldn't tell me. 

Lawrence

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