| I'll never forget waking up one morning, to the sound of Solowolf (my "Little Napoleon" insecure alpha) dominating our new foster wolfer Shasta. I secretly watched through the window as Lutro, then 9 months old and always the peacemaker, deliberately picked up a toy, and waved it at the two squabbling wolfers. He then took off running, as if to say "I have a toy, and Yoooooou don't-Catch me if you can!" The other two immediately took off after him, argument completely forgotten. We humans consider ourselves clever when we are thoughtful enough to use distractions to get the desired results. Wolves just *do it*--we can watch them and learn. I'm not sure whether Lutro came preprogrammed with this technique, or learned from watching the high's...but wolves generally don't like any sort of anger or fighting. Around a year and a half ago, when we still lived as one pack rather than two, I went to correct Solowolf for some small infraction. Avatar and Ono immediately placed themselves between us, and wouldn't let me near him...whining and licking my face to pacify me. It's not a perfect model,but wolf society has its good side. ;) |
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| his friends (his way of bragging), showed it off to me while I petted him, then went off to dig a hole and bury it. Lutro, sitting on my lap on top of our clubhouse, watched Ono dig the hole, drop the bone in, and carefully push dirt back over it with his nose. Ono then trotted over to the clubhouse, leaped up, and proceeded to displace Lutro in my lap. Lutro hopped down and wandered innocently around the yard for a minute or two, then quietly dug up the distracted Ono's bone and lay down with it. Ono, upon discovering this sly maneuver, walked over and asked for it back...words cannot describe how cute these interactions are. I've seen it time and again, but even photos barely do it justice. ;) Ono approaches, Lutro stops chewing and his ears wilt, but up comes the lip to ever-so-slightly expose the pearly whites. "Please, Mr. Ono, Sir, it's mine for now." Ono essentially sighs, and goes on to other pursuits. Soon afterwards, Lutro loses interest in the bone, and wanders away from it...Ono, keeping tabs, hustles back over and reclaims it. He trots up the tunnel into the upper yard and returns without the bone a few minutes later, bearing a proud smile and a newly muddied nose. (The interactions can be even more fun when there are several of these guys around a deer carcass...those are completely consumed in short order, although they usually leave a small piece of hide uneaten, to be used for a few days' worth of keep-away games.) |
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| In other cases, Lutro has been talked out of the prize...I remember a charming but determined young female rescue we had here once, a reported "wolf x akita" mix who was anything but! This little pariah dog of indeterminate heritage went on to a fantastic new home soon after her arrival, but I have a great sequence of photos in which she manages, though expressions and posturing alone, to negotiate Lutro's snack away from him. ;-) I have an equally amusing sequence in which a little chow puppy (a dropoff, discovered in our driveway one freezing morning on my return from out of town) manages to slowly weasel a small bone from under Lutro's paw. All without ever an argument, nor hard feelings or physical violence. :-) The range of expressions these guys can accomplish is nothing short of awesome. 'Tro has a wonderful, submissive-yet-loving approach that just melts me every time I see it--his whole demeanor conveys his laid-back good nature and desire to be a friend. He is truly a "Big Picture" animal, and just happy to be here. |
| We frequently watch our guys conniving each other out of desired objects-if they can't get what they want by posturing, they'll resort to trickery. Lutro is no exception. Just the other day, I saw Ono, walking around so proud with a big ol' bone in his mouth. He showed it off to all |