Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Moosies!

Thanks again for all the wonderful birthday wishes! We are all full of excitement here!

Yesterday morning Abby and I woke Mom up a little before 6am so she could take us outside, and Mom was still half-asleep and wasn't really paying attention when she opened the back door....

I started barking and Abby did a U-turn and came right back inside (I followed right behind her). Why? Um....


That's right! Momma Moose with a little baby moose. Mom and Dad saw this mom and baby in the neighborhood about a month ago, but we had never expected they'd come pay us a visit.

The baby is a real youngster - definitely born just this year.

Mom was very worried that Momma Moose would take issue with us being around her baby, so Mom kept us inside - where we barked at them, and they just sort of flicked their ears at us. I guess we're not super-scary sounding! Heehee.

Momma Moose, could have been a different story, though. Last year Dad was trying to get a single female moose off the property (moose and dogs really don't mix well) and REALLY pissed her off when he threw a snowball at her - she got so mad she came around the front and was charging the front porch. Like seriously charging the front porch - if she could have figured out a way up, she probably would have. Anyway, angry moose are SCARY!

So, instead of our usual frolicking in the yard, Mom and Dad hustled us off on our walk, hoping that when we got home, Momma Moose and Baby would have moved on to greener pastures.

Well, we got back from our walk to discover they had moved - to the front yard!

And they seemed to be quite comfy....


Heehee. We scratch just like that!

And Baby Moose was pretty cute!


Dad was a little worried that Momma and Baby had decided to make this their new summer home, and tried to gently urge them to leave by turning on the sprinkler (from the safety of the porch). Let's just say that Momma Moose was not impressed. Or even remotely disturbed.

Whaddya think, Mom? Should I be worried about this flying water?

Naw. Just take a seat; this place has nommy trees, fresh grass - it's perfect.

Okay. Sounds good to me!

Momma and Baby hung around until about 2pm, when the garbage truck came by - I guess it was a little noisy for them! But now when we go out, Mom's Very Careful about checking for Momma and Baby!

See, never a dull moment here!

*kissey face*
-Fiona and Abby the Hippobottomus

Note from Mom: I like seeing moose - I think they are amazing animals, but they scare the hell out of me. They are surprisingly fast, and when you've got a mother with a very young one, I'm not certain how they are going to react, and certainly they can be deadly to humans and dogs if they feel their young are being threatened. Luckily, this one seemed to be pretty mellow; she has been around the neighborhood for most of the spring, and didn't perceive the dogs as a threat (not that I gave her a chance to get worried - I kept the girls far away from them). So it was very cool to see the moose, and the baby really was a cutie but I'd just as soon they move on to someone else's yard! If you're interested in how to co-exist with moose, check out this article (http://www.xyz.net/~khltkbr/projects/moose/coexist.html).

24 comments:

Two French Bulldogs said...

Oh my goodness, beautiful!!
Its Bullwinkle
Benny & Lily

Kari in Alaska said...

We are up in Alaska right now seeing plenty of Moose :)

Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com

BZ Dogs said...

Soooooo cute! Don't want to tangle with a mad momma moose, though. Waaaaay bigger than you two!

Anonymous said...

"Yah, that's right. We're badass moose. Just try and make us move. Go ahead. MAKE MY DAY!" said the interloper to doodle people.

OMG, your dogs are so smart. Mine would be DEAD by now. especially the husky. she's so curious about all animals and is not afraid any of them. we once ran into a wild boar and her baby and she broke her prong coller! thank god i had it on a "back up" collar too so she didn't escape, but she would have charged them for sure.

btw: happy belated b-day Fi. sorry, i've been very sick this week and haven't been much on computer.

great shots of the moose. i'd be scared too. sounds you guys need some deer/moose fencing around large area of the house? that's what we did finally, it's fairly cheap and ugly but if you put it far away through the woods nobody sees it! it's cool not to have it because you get neat visitors but then again, i like my dogs alive... yours at least have brains to run away!

Anonymous said...

btw: it's tinned salmon that's already cooked. that's the only thing i dont' feed raw because it's too dangerous. some salmon is poisonous raw, i think, i can't remember what it is that's dangerous. i personally HATE salmon so i don't think it's such a delicacy but i do know it's good omega 3 for them. i found using tin salmon in a kong (you can blend it with cream cheese or plain yogurt and freeze it) makes a great healthy snack.

Dexter said...

I think that momma and baby moose are going to do whatever they want so I hope they don't move to your estate or you will be sneaking out the window just so you don't upset them and wind up with one on your porch.

Slobbers,
Mango

The Daily Pip said...

WOW!!! I can't believe you have moose in your yard! We don't have anything like that around here. They do sound a little scary so be careful and don't make them mad!

Your pal, Pip

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

Holy Gwalk a Moley Fiona and Abby I am soooooo glad that you didn't go OUT there with the mom and baby. I have heard that they can be really MEAN.
You certainly got some wonderful pictures though.

Angel Ginger Jasper said...

Ow wow how very wonderful to wake and see that in your yard. realy lovely.. I can see how it must be worrying but I would just be rapped to see that so close.. Hugs GJ xx

Shannon @ Why Not On A Tuesday said...

Wow! That's amazing! My husband and I just got back from a vacation to Canada and that was the one thing my husband wanted to see - a moose! Unfortunately, we didn't see one. He would be so jealous that you had one right there in your yard. So neat!

Road Dog Tales said...

OMD! OMD! That's so cute! Although we do hope they don't take up residency in your yard. It might kinda cramp your style :)

But, wait til we show this to Dad! He will flip! He was hiking once in the Uintas with 3 of our Shepherd siblings and they came right up on a baby and momma moose on a trail before they realized it. The moose saw them before they saw her, but she was cool with them. She even let Jake (our bro) kiss it on the head. Our Dad sometimes doesn't know when it's prudent to be scared. He chased a grizzly bear with a camera on our trip out West!

Glad to see you've finally got some grass :) Are you taking bets on the date of the next snow? BOL!

The Road Dogs

Clive said...

WOW!!! We couldn't believe our eyes - moose in your garden!

Murray was totally amazed and then very jealous!! But we had no idea that moose could be dangerous! So we told him it's probably just as well that there are no moose in Ireland!

take care
Clive & Co

ps-this is one of the few times Murray's Dad has ever got up from his computer to actually look at something we were telling him! He was actually fascinated too!

Clive said...

meant to say "equally fascinated"!!!

Too amazed by those moose to think straight!!!

rottrover said...

See what happens when your mom plants a lawn in your yard!! You get moose!! Sheesh!

-Gizmo, Bart and Ruby

1000 Goldens said...

Very cool :) I think they probably wanted to play frisbee or something?? My Grandpa always told me about Momma Moose being dangerous - I'm glad your's just wanted to enjoy your shade and soft grass.

Lorenza said...

OMD!
Sure it was a big surprise to see them in your yard!
They are beautiful!
But sure you need to be careful!
a Mad Moose Mom could be dangerous!
Take care
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

bichonpawz said...

HOOOOLLLLY Moose!!! Woweeee! We just cannot even imagine what the heck we'd think if we saw one or two of those things in the yard!! We have lots and lots of wild things like Deer, Foxes, Turkey, Minks, Hedgehogs...but never MOOSES!!! I would have totally freaked!!! The pictures are quite awesome though!!
xoxo Chloe and LadyBug

Road Dog Tales said...

Fiona - We got so excited about the moosies - we totally forgot to wish you a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Looks like you got treated really good what with cheeseburgers and carrot-apple cake! Yummmm... But peeps can never just let a good thing alone, can they? Always with the hats or some other nonsense. Oh, well, at least you got lots of treats for that bit of torture. And you do have that F&S Gift Certificate to look forward to!

Cheers & Happy B'Day!!!

PeeS - We came back to copy the link to the moosies to send Dad 'cause he's out of town and we thought he would get a kick out of it!

The Road Dogs

brooke said...

catching up after vacation! Happy birthday and MOOSES! How cool is that!

Jed and Abby in MerryLand said...

Happy Belated Birthday, Fi! Sorry we missed it.

We're fascinated with your moosies! All we get are chipmunks and squirrels and birds. We used to have rabbits, but foxes moved through and now we don't. Hope the baby moose makes it; he seems to have an experienced mama.

Jed & Abby

STELLA and RORY from Down Under said...

Hello Fiona and Abby, I found you through Mango. What an amazing animal to find outside your door. The photos are fab. Happy belated birthday Fiona. No worries, and love, Stella

Bocci said...

Hey, we love this post and the pictures of the moosies!

Yes, better safe than sorry, we think!

D.K. Wall said...

Ww, you hav meeses, er, moosi, uh, you know, more then one moose. The hu-dad always hope he never walks out one morning to see an elk in the yard.

Ryker said...

Very cool. Moose like the water sprinklers on a hot day : )
Nice shots!