Thursday, April 21, 2011

A SAD DAY FOR WOLVES

ProjectCoyote Project Coyote


A sad day – year– for wolves- after 35 million spent on reintroduction... http://fb.me/zAeySegY

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ' My son, the battle is between two ' wolves ' inside us all.
One is Evil. - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
'The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ' Which wolf wins? 'The old Cherokee simply replied, ' The one you feed.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Yippee is a trust baby!

Since we are getting up in age we have wondered, "What will happen to Yippee if something happens to us?" She doesn't take well to strangers. She likes our son and he loves animals but he has 5 dacshunds. We don't think it would make a good situation for either of them for him to take her. Plus he lives in town that is 200 miles away. She wouldn't survive the travel to get there. So in our wills we have set aside a generous amount that will keep Yippee happy, our son is the trustee in charge of supervising her care. Yippee's God-father, Critterman has agreed to provide her with that care. Critterman is a friend of ours and Yippee. She hasn't grown close to Critterman but he is knowledgeable enough to know how to communicate with her and she tolerates him very well. He also lives in our town. Critterman is a entertaining character himself. Check him out at: http://www.crittermansworld.com/index.html

Luckily, we also have a very dear friend who is also is our attorney. He understands us completely and is an animal lover himself. He didn't laugh when we asked him to put Yippee in our wills.

One of my new favorites, enjoy......

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=117345&title=Grenrock-Woods---Where-the-Buffalo-Groan

Sunday, February 15, 2009






















Yippee Archive:

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Attack Pomeranians

When we lived in the house previous to this one, we had a very beautiful back yard that had a nice little creek running through it. I had built a curved bridge over it with benches built into the sides. It had a pond that it ran through right behind the house. The pond was surrounded by huge willow trees with 3' trunks. In the far corner of our yard there were large willows next to the creek. There was a little waterfall that divided the creek at that point. It was all lawn on both sides of the creek but we left the area immediately next to it a wildlife area. I had a cable strung the full length of the back yard so I could tie Yippee to it and she'd have space to run back and forth.

I was fixing lunch one day and looked out the kitchen window and saw that Yippee was tangled around a tree and only had about 3' of line. I thought I'd just finish up the task I was on and I'd go untangle her. I was headed out the door and I start hearing a ruckus. My neighbor, Val, on that end of the property had a large lawn, about 2 acres. They had two cute little black Pomeranians, Snickers and Ringo. Yippee had played with them when she was a small puppy. But we had to keep them apart as she grew. Snickers and Ringo were always running around the neighborhood and would run off for a day or so. I'd always get calls asking if I'd seen them. They were cute but totally out of control. We were also keeping our Jack Russell Bijou and Yippee apart at that time.

When I went out the door I saw the trouble. Bijou ran out the door with me. Ringo and Snickers were attacking Yippee, she was totally tied against the tree by this time. Bijou ran and jumped in the middle of it fighting the other 3. The Pomeranian's were taking a beating even with Yippee hobbled to the tree. Bijou was biting them all. Ringo fell into the creek and didn't even try to swim. He just sank to the bottom. I reached in and grabbed him pulling him out. He bite me but he just laid shaking when I laid him on the ground. I was afraid he had broken his back. Snickers was crying and ran home. I had no problems getting Yippee back into her kennel. I had problems keep Bijou from attacking her all the way. I got a box and went to Ringo and rolled him into it and started off to the neighbors. As luck would have it, my neighbor had her ladies group over for lunch. By that time Snickers had alerted them and Val came running out with one of the old ladies far behind her. Val asked what had happened. I told her and she apologized for her dogs attacking Yippee. They had come onto my property. Val and I were good friends and I wasn't worried a bit about the encounter coming between us. Her old friend starting yelling at me, "Why are you keeping such a dangerous animal and letting it out to attack dogs?" She was very confrontational. Val explained it wasn't Yippee's or my fault. I told her it could have happened if we just had a dog tied out there. I believe that Bijou had done as much damage to them as Yippee. Yippee had bites all over her too. Poor Ringo and Snickers, both of them had a lot of open wounds, their skin off their backs had been about pulled off. Val rushed them to the veterinary and had to leave both of them there. They were in real rough shape and the veterinary didn't know if Ringo would make it. Neither had any broken bones. It took them a couple of weeks to recover at the vets. It cost Val over $2000 to repair them. I felt bad but Val assured me it was her fault for letting them run. I did agree with that.

About 6 months later both Pomeranian's tangled with a couple of raccoon. Snickers lost an eye. Both spent time at the veterinarians again and were as bad off as the first time. Both lived. Ringo had some problems after than and had a few seizures. He died from them a few years after that. Snickers is still alive and well today.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

1999, A SAD & HEARTBREAKING YEAR FOR ME....

Yippie and I were best buds. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she and I played hard every evening for 4 hours. She would be going strong the whole time. Running around the house, jumping on me if I were laying on the couch or floor. I had to invent all means of entertainment for her. She loved to go full speed around the house and run over the top of me. She never hit my face during this whole time. She seems to be very careful around my face and has never tried to bite it. She also enjoyed leaping up on the back of the couch and running full speed over it. She chased stuffed toys tied to a string, chasing them and stalking them. She would bring whatever toy she wanted to me. She had her own toy box. I tried to teach her to put them away because she would empty it by the end of the evening. There were times when she actually did put them away.

This playtime lasted into bedtime. She was either pouncing on my feet or stomach or trying to dig me out from under the blankets. She loved to play ball and was a good retriever. I used a tennis ball. I had to go through a lot of balls because she loved to chew on them until she got them open. Thankfully, I have a good friend who plays tennis and kept me supplied.

I would lay in bed and try to wear her out by tossing the ball off the bed time and time again. There were times I'd be half asleep and still throwing the ball, wishing she would give up. She could actually throw the ball to me so I could catch it. I was sitting up in bed one time, trying to wear her out. She ran and retrieved it but when she tossed it to me it dropped between us. We both went for it at the same time. I grabbed it at the same time and she bit through my hand. My natural reaction was to hit her off of it. That was the only time I've ever hit her. She didn't mean to bite me, she was just going for the ball. She got very angry and threatened me. She stood over me with her hackles up snarling and growling. I had to lift the blankets up between us and chase her out through the garage and into her kennel. I tried over and over to appolize to her but this time she wouldn't listen. She would listen to it if I accidently stepped on her foot.

From that moment on she became very agressive to me. It broke my heart. I did everything I could to become friends with her. I asked animal experts, only one made any suggestions and that was to "starve her and feed her with my hand when she wasn't agressive." There was no way I was treating her this way. I had to cowboy up and overcome my fears of her agression. I learned how to attach her leash so we could go for walks again. I had to take a ski pole to keep her away from me to protect me. During this time she still loved my husband. He could handle her when needed. I spent many hours next to her kennel with her toys and food to try to distract her from trying to attack me. My gardens were around her kennel so I would talk to her while I worked in them. She couldn't come into the house or she would come after me. If I tied her out on her stung cable I had to take the ski pole and back away after I tied her. It took her and I a full year to become friends again. I was so thankful when she started to accept me again. We haven't had any problems since.

Monday, February 2, 2009



Baby Yippee May 1997

Sunday, February 1, 2009



Yippee as a little girl.

Having a howl with mom.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Yippee has only been loose and free a couple of times. She's very brave when we take her for walks but if she discovers she is loose she

Friday, January 30, 2009

One day I was playing with Yippee in the bedroom as usual. I had a towel and she was on top of the bed. I was whacking her lightly with the towel as she grabbed it and growled. I grew tired of the game but she wasn't. I turned my back to her to get into a drawer. Right after I did I felt a towel whacked across my back. I turned around and Yippee had a big smile on her face. I have no idea how she did that.

Yippee wants me to come to bed at night when she's ready for bed. This can start as early as 7 p.m. She will pace up and down the hallway looking into the living room at me. If I don't get the idea, she will go get my nightgown from under my pillow and bring it to me.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Kiyotee kisses are the best. They don't slurp you like a dog. They tenderly press the end of their tongues against you ever so softly and sweet. Just once or twice.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

YIPPEE STORIES:

Yippee:
Loves to howl when we grind coffee in the morning.
Runs around whinning when we come home. Kisses our faces. It lasts relevant to how long we've been gone.
Eats rubber gloves. She's had two operations for eating the long yellow gloves whole. We are very careful to keep them from her. She thinks she's stealing them from us.
Sleeps with me every night.
Only will eat Beef, Bacon & Cheese, Pedigree canned food and only from the small cans not the big ones.
Eats my food. Expects me to share. She will sniff my mouth to see if I've been eating without her.
Loves pancakes and waffles. She eats bananas, ice cream, loves pumpkin pie, cottage cheese, of course any meats but lamb is her favorite,
Won't eat elk legs.
Will steal napkins off our laps and guests laps.
Will only approach a stranger who is sitting at the breakfast table and will accept food from them.
Will not let anyone touch her but the two of us.
Remembers people very well.
Is only comfortable around people she grew up with.
Will not accept caretakers, even after being around them for a year.
Never forgets.
Is scared of everything. Doesn't like the furniture re-arranged. Thinks everything is a trap.
Is very territorial with other animals.
Likes the horses.

Stories I recall:
Posted 1/09

Yippee was extremely playful her first 6 years. We had a Jack Russell called Bijou that was older than Yippee by 7 years. Yippee tormented Bijou and Bijou just hated her. All Bijou was interested in was food. At the breakfast table both would beg. I'd hand Yippee a piece of toast and Bijou would be very upset. Yippee would taunt her with it. Lay in front of her with a keen eye and lay the toast on the floor. Bijou would stand very tense and as soon as she made any move Yippee would grab it up and run with Bijou growling and nipping at her heels. Yippee would run over the couches back, around and under the table, all over the house. When Bijou got tired. Yippee would lay with the toast in front of her until she caught her breath and it would start all over again. As soon as Yippee saw that Bijou was growing very tired she would just walk over and give the toast to Bijou. Don't feel sorry for Bijou, she'd retaliate. She would steal Yippees toys and lay on the floor snarling and snapping at her. Yippee would lay in front of her and slowly reach out her paw to touch the toy and Bijou would snap at it and grab the toy and walk proudly off.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Coyote Princess
















I'm retired but still working. I live with my husband of 29 years in our newly built home. I designed and built the home while my husband was still working.

Yes, I built my own home. I hired the very heavy work done such as the foundation, walls and roof. I have done building in the past but wanted to design and do my own before I was too old.
My projects for the last 4 years have been; all the electrical, plumbing, tiling, flooring, painting, cabinets, lighting, rock work, fireplaces, builtins, artwork, garden shed, and barn. My husband has helped hold things in place, landscaping and fencing. I am 98% finished. Yet, I'm still creating things for my gardens, home and helping with all of the above for my friends.

My husband and I met though our professions in Law Enforcement. We worked homicide scenes and court presentations together. How romantic!

I come from a pioneer background for this area, on both my mothers' and fathers' side of the family. This included farming and ranching. I am very envolved in family history of photographs and helping with the old homestead sites. I'm currently putting together a family history book of photographs from both sides. I've also created replicas with my father that are now in this areas' museums.

I owned horses all of my life. My husband and I owned and operated our cattle and horse ranch. We did all of the farming, building and maintenance. I fitted, showed, marketed and bred Paint and Quarterhorses. We raised purebred limousine cattle. I spent many hours each summer riding the tractor round and round the fields, many times I would be followed by a coyote catching the mice the swather and baler would stir up.

My father was a logger and cleared land with his caterpillar. He loved animals and was always sad if he destroyed their home. He would bring them to me to care for. I have raised, wild rabbits, owls, birds, mice, flying squirrels, etc. I learned from that and have always loved to rescue and return animals to their habitats. I've just done that with animals that have come to me. I don't run a rescue.

My first real introduction to coyotes came when I lived out of the area for 7 years. I lived in the country, in an area with open land. I had my horses and would take long rides over it. While on these rides I was joined by the coyote packs. They weren't a threat, they just enjoyed coming along. They would lead the way or follow at my horses heels. We had good conversations back and forth. They were always happy and playful. I loved them and looked forward to these rides. They were always there. I never fed them, they just enjoyed it as much as I.

In my rides I have encountered many wild animals. I love to observed them. Animal behavior has always been a strong interest for me. Growing up I spent much of my time in the woods alone. As a small child I was often left on an island near my parents cabin. I was free to explore it. There were wild horses on the island. The first thing I'd do is find them. I would climb the hills to the Bighorn sheep and watch their big herds from the top of the island. Once in a while, I would just run down into the herds and scatter them. I felt as wild as they were. I would also see deer, raccoons, coyotes and mountain lions. I would just sit and watch for hours.

So, 12 years ago, when I was offered a very sick,10 day old coyote pup from a game farm, I had to have it. I bottle fed it and nursed it back to health from a deadly virus. It also had a broken tail with the tip pulled off and 1" of bone exposed. It took a lot of expensive veterinarian work to save it, thousands. Luckily, I had my husbands permission as it was an undertaking that he was very involved in too.

She was named Yippee and has brought us extreme joy and priceless entertainment. She's our coyote princess, our little girl, or Goofy Girl as we sometimes call her. She has many nicknames, Grumpy girl, YippeeYo, Yippity Do Da, Yipster, Pooky, Yips, Yippers, YippeeYippity Yo, Yippee Dippy, etc. She knows them all.

Where I grew up
N.W. Montana
o Blogger (Blogspot) - coyotekisser
Interests:
Art, photography, creating, building, design, animals, gardening, flowers, computers,camping, kyacking, hiking, exploring, collecting

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Monday, January 14, 2008

HOW YIPPEE CAME TO ME

Yippee is a real coyote. I discovered her in a game farm when she was just a week old.

I had helped the owners of the game farm with several photography shoots. It was my job to keep the animals away from the photographers so they wouldn't get eaten. It was also my job to chase the animals around for the photographers so they could get the perfect shot. The owners wanted me to work for them. I was interested in the animals but didn't want a job there. They asked me several times to take baby animals home and raise them in the house. I turned down Snow Leopards, Cougars, Bobcats, Lynx, Tigers, Wolves, Raccoons, etc. I'm not a very good cat person and couldn't imagine raising such animals in the house. I had seen the owners do it. I was often attacked by a young Snow Leopard pouncing on me in play in their house. Not many people have a pair of jeans that have a Leopard bite in them.

I had handled him in the compounds. One compound was a steep hillside with cliffs around it. It was winter and it was my job to keep the playful young Snow Leopard on top of the hill. There was 3 feet of snow. He would take off and run to the bottom of the hill and my friend and I had to get him back up. We ended up dragging my his legs and tail. He was delighted with this process and thought it was a very fun game. As soon as we'd get him up, he'd leap around and head back down the hill waiting for us at the bottom. We were all exhausted by the end of that shoot.

One spring, I was in the nursery looking at the babies. I saw a litter of coyote pups under a heat lamp. It was cold in the nursery. One poor little puppy was pushed into the corner out from under the heat lamp. It was obviously the runt of the litter and pushed out. I reached in and picked her up. Her cold stiff body wasn't moving. I thought she was dead. I cupped her into my hand and blew warm air over her. One of her tiny paws moved. No one thought she'd make it through the night. Her tail was injured. Possibly caught in the cage door. The end was stripped of skin and flesh and all that showed was the bone in her tail. I gave her a warm bath when I got her home and dripped some warm formula into her mouth. I learned to massage her belly so that she could poop. Her natural mother would have licked her belly and then cleaned her. It takes this stimulation for these babies to function. I took her to the veterinary the first day I could get her there. She was developing a runny nose. He took care of her tail, amputating the very end of it. We put her on antibiotics. It took a lot to get any formula into her the first few weeks. She couldn't suck. I was afraid I was going to drown her. Finally she developed some strength and started nursing. It wasn't much at first just an ounce at a time. I tried every 2 hours day and night to feed her. She started growing stronger. I fed her every 2 hours, day and night until she was 6 weeks old. I could start feeding her less times after that but still had to wake up for night feedings.

At this point I wasn't sure if Yippee were mine or the game farms. I kept her thinking I'd have to return her. I didn't take her out in public so she wasn't socialized as much as she could have been. I thought the game farm might get in trouble for me having her. I checked it all out and found that I could legally have a coyote. The owners of the game farm finally told me that she was mine.

We had a Jack Russell Terrier named Bijou when Yippee arrived. Bijou was about 7 years old. Bijou hated Yippee. She didn't really like any other dogs either. Of course Yippee was this naive puppy who just wanted to play. Bijou would bear her teeth and growl. If I weren't looking she'd take a nip out of Yippee. Her growling and teeth bearing didn't seem to have any effect on Yippee. Yippee would just lay on the floor in front of her and reach out with her paw and stroke towards Bijou's face. Bijou's growl would get louder and louder, but she wouldn't move. Yippee would lay toys in front of Bijou and as soon as Bijou made a move for them Yippee would grab them and run. If Bijou got them she would lay with them in front of Yippee and taunt her. Yippee would lay down and take her little paw and reach towards the toy with Bijou growling loudly. Bijou would get extremely mad if Yippee got it away from her and would chase Yippee around the house growling and snapping at her heels.

As Yippee got a little older she discovered she could pick on me just as easily. If I were laying on the couch watching TV. Yippee would take a big jump and land in the middle of me. She got so she hopped right over me and run along the back of the couch. She loved to run as fast as she could, circling around so she could run over the top of me each circle. She never hurt me. For as fast as she was going, she missed scratching my face. She has always stayed away from my face. Each evening Yippee would play with me from 3 to 4 hours steadily. I would be laughing the whole time. My husband showed a lot of patience with both of us because we would be interrupting his concentration on other things. Yippee would engage him as much as she could too. This lasted a few years.

Yippees' favorite mealtime is breakfast. It was Bijou's too. They were fed from the table, shame on us. They loved the crust of the toast. Bijou was a real foodie. Yippee and I had a game we played on Bijou. I would hand Yippee the crust and she'd take off around the house, making laps around the dining room table and over the back of the couch. Bijou would be hot on her tail, snarling and snapping and trying to catch her. They would get out of breath and Yippee would stop at one end of the table and Bijou at the other. As soon as Bijou would make a move, Yippee would take off again for a few more laps. Yippee would stop as suddenly as she started and place the toast in front of Bijou. If she was tired enough, she'd just give it to her. Then we'd start all over again. I have videos of them chasing each other that I need to edit. When I do, I will add them to this blog.