Wolf Ahead

     This morning after I took the kids to the bus stop I decided to take a quick walk to the Trail’s End Campground.  The campground loop doesn’t get plowed during the winter and I was curious to see if all of the snow had melted off of the roadway.  On the way I spotted something on the road that jarred a funny memory.

     When I walk I constantly look for wildlife or signs of wildlife.  I saw fresh moose tracks in the mud, a new pile of bark from a woodpecker and water that had been splashed onto the roadway from a moose who had stepped out of the water filled ditch.  Then I saw a pile of fresh wolf scat.

     The scat is what reminded me of a time when I was taking the same walk with my dog Ambri.  She was a large, beautiful, grey and white colored,  half husky half samoyed who resembled a timber wolf.  She liked to run ahead of me and on this particular walk she was running in the middle of the road quite a distance from me.  I saw her ears go back and I knew her interest had been piqued.  I soon saw what she heard coming, a man on a bicycle.

     This man quickly stopped his bike and stood statue still staring at Ambri.  I’m sure if I would have been closer I would have been able to see him shaking with fear at the prospect of a wolf only a few feet away.  I chuckled to myself and wondered how long I should let him sweat and then decided I didn’t want to deal with a heart attack victim. 

      "Hi There!" I shouted.  I won’t forget the look of confusion he had on his face for the split second before I continued to say, "Don’t worry, that’s just my dog."  Relief replaced the expression of confusion as he got onto his bike and started to pedal towards me.  He didn’t say a word as he biked by and I’m not sure if it was the shock or embarassment that kept his tongue from moving in his mouth. 

     I laughed out loud this morning as I remembered this incident and my great dog Ambri and her brother Jasper.   I doubt anyone will be scared by the appearance of the dog I have now since he is just 1/10 of the size of my other dogs.  For those of you who are wondering, the campground loop still has snow on it.  I’m sure it will be gone by May 4, the Ham Run, especially with the forecast calling for temperatures in the 60’s.