A neat little story to share...While on our morning hike, my dog found a mink. This is not unusual, but this one found itself trapped at the base of an aspen. I thought Tanzer was chasing a squirrel until I heard it scream. Like a shrill MEEEH!
The dog wanted nothing to do with a squirrel that sounds like that, so backed out of there with her hackles up. I could smell it before I got close - a distinctly musky odour like a mild skunk. Then it popped its head up from the brush, MEEH'ed at me and scrambled up the smooth trunk of the tree! I'm just sharing this since that's the first time I've ever seen them climb trees. Good info to tuck away for a scene in a book.
I've put it in my IDEAS file.
Also,
Karen of North Wapiti kennel has just left Rainy Pass - a checkpoint in the Iditarod race. Read about how one of her dogs slipped his collar, came looking for her in the musher's tent, and told her it was time to get on the trail. Too funny.
photo from flickrcc and NorthWapiti blog.
16 comments:
A mink? Interesting. I bet they are just big enough that I wouldn't want to run into one.
Your adventures are never-ending. I would love to see a mink! :-)
I didn't know minks climbed trees either! Fun.
I had no idea minks climbed trees. Fascinating.
As for Karen's dog...good doggie. ;-)
I've never seen an mink. Not even at a zoo. We're going to the San Diego Zoo soon so I'll make it a point to look for them.
Very cool story! I've seen mink swimming, but never on land.
I've never seen a mink at all! How cool it must be to see them now and again! I had no idea they gave off an odor of any kind.
What else do you see on a regular basis out there? Is it ever dangerous??
I didn't know they screamed! Then again, rabbits scream - and it's a horrible sound.
Cool mink story!!
Laura - they are not big - weasel family so usually about the size of a skinny cat.
Shannon - My adventures are getting tamer as I get older, but I do enjoy staying active outdoors.
Jemi and Jamie - yes, it was a shock for me to see him shimy up the trunk like a squirrel. I suppose I would climb a tree too if a big hairy thing was after me!
Stephen - hey, thanks for being my 100th follower! yay! have fun at the zoo!
Paul - I thought you'd appreciate hearing a story like this.
PJ - Good question, I will post on that topic.
Diane - It was lower pitched than a rabbit, but definitely the same effect.
Kelly - thanks for stopping by!
Awesome! I think I'd be excited, but scared to death. I love your voice. :) And thanks for stopping by my blog. :D
I've never seen a mink either. Didn't know they had an odor. Now as far as a skunk goes, I've seen and smelled lots of them.
I've never seen a mink before. I'd like to live in an area where I can see a variety of creatures while hiking.
Very cool! I'm glad it was a mink, not a skunk...
And here I thought squirrels were bad.
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