It’s been a wild summer on the homestead. Besides the usual population of birds, bugs, and tree-dwelling critters, there have been more mountain lions, coyotes, and bears (oh my!) than we’ve heard or seen so far since moving to these Montana mountains. You may recall from our post Everything We Did our Fourth Spring on the Homestead, the little Christmas-tree-star twin cubs that scrambled all the way to the top of an enormous pine right before our eyes. There was a cinnamon-black bear after that. And just a few weeks ago, Yeti managed to “tree” an enormous mama black bear and her cubs just on the edge of our clearing.
It was eleven o’clock at night and Yeti made such a ruckus that we tore ourselves away from our books and pillows to stand wearily on the deck with a spotlight. When pairs of yellow-reflecting eyes peered back at us we stood spellbound, slightly spooked and greatly awed. Then the growling started. Everyone up here in the Great North loves to shrug off black bears. “Ahhh, black bears are pretty docile,” they say. “It’s the grizzlies you gotta worry about.” Well, friends, let me just tell you that if a mama black bear can show as bad a temper as we witnessed, I don’t want to think about getting a mama grizzly’s dander up. The growling was incredibly fierce. Yeti’s frantic barks were muted under Mama’s warnings. Then, suddenly, there was an earthquake in the forest. Big Mama was shaking the tall pine tree as effortlessly as a middle-school boy makes a pencil dance during a pre-algebra lesson. The growling and shaking became so intense that we actually began to worry for Yeti.
I wondered if Big Mama wasn’t going to drop down out of the tree and swallow up Yeti’s white coat under her enormous black one in a single pounce.
“We’ve got to get him away from her,” I said simply. It took a lot of calling, yelling, coaxing, demanding, and threatening to peel Yeti away from the base of that tree. At last he came, hunched and miserable, tail tucked in absolute despair at his owners’ ignorance. He had to be dragged into the barn, heels digging into the gravel the whole way, bottom anchoring down with an ancient instinct, and eyes imploring in an expression that could only mean, “Don’t you guys get it? Are you humans blind? Didn’t you see the bear? She’s out there. In a tree! You can’t lock me up. I have to do my job.” Yeti continued to argue and complain loudly inside the barn for an hour while the black bear gradually cooled off and finally crawled down and away into the forest with her cubs in retreat.
Finally, about midnight, a sad and confused Yeti was given a giant pig’s ear as dismal consolation. One thing was clear as we got back into bed and turned out the lights. It was time. Yeti needed a bear patrol partner.
Two weeks ago today, we welcomed a seven-week-old white cub to the “paw patrol unit.”
He was nameless for a total of one minute before his Hal Smith-hailing, drunk toddling about made “Otis” the obvious choice. The name was unanimous and the love instantaneous.
The photos can’t begin to capture the sweet and loyal nature of this baby polar bear.
All about OTIS
Breed & Basics:
- Great Pyrenees (of course!!)
- Weight: 14 pounds at seven weeks, 16 pounds at nine weeks
- Eye color: blue and turning gray
- Oddities: Otis has six toes on each of his back paws, with an additional “dew claw” common for snow dogs. We will probably be getting these removed to avoid possible tearing.
Behavior:
- Loving, friendly, loyal
- Grunts like a pig when we pick him up or snuggle him
- A bit careless (not very obedient)
- Gentle (very little nipping)
- Easy (for a puppy)
- Strong appetite
- Calm and chill
- Loves to chew
- Gets hot easily
- Perceptive
- Quick-learner
Everything Otis has done his first two weeks on the homestead:
- Adopted Yeti as his surrogate mother
- Made friends with Tiger the cat
- Gained two whole pounds (unlike Yeti, Otis is particularly food-motivated)
- Acquainted himself with the chickens
- Learned to do his business on the outskirts of the clearing (well, some of the time anyway)
- Escaped every enclosure we have put him in, including a locked crate (your guess is as good as ours)
- Attended his first late-night bonfire
Otis’ favorite things:
- Shoes and other treats
- Shade
- Long naps
- Teddy Bears (hopefully a good omen for the future)
- Lying in the cold grass, cool mud, or wet woodchips
- Eating compost
- Chewing on pumpkin vines
- Romping and bounding with the kids
- Snuggling with anyone handy
- Anything that Yeti is doing
The worst thing Otis has done so far: chewed an impressive hole into the entryway baseboard.
YETI with OTIS
Yeti was unsure and more than a little uncomfortable around Otis for the first 48 hours or so. Ears pulled back, and tail tucked, it seemed as if Yeti was afraid he might hurt his miniature brother. Either that, or he was very offended by Otis’ frequent attempts to nurse. Conversely, Otis has never shown the least little bit of fear, concern, or even respect for Yeti’s size and strength.
Otis made it clear from the start that he had not the slightest intention of leaving Yeti alone and has proceeded in following him around everywhere like a fluffy white shadow.
The only time Otis doesn’t follow is when Yeti alert-barks and charges for the fence line. When this happens, Otis inexplicably posts himself patiently on the porch, ears alert and eyes scanning the forest. It’s as if Yeti’s bark has some kind of command in it for Otis to stay put and out of danger. Otis tried to follow Yeti on a fence-run yesterday afternoon and I witnessed Yeti turn from the barking chase to make a low growling sound at Otis that sent the guardian-in-training retreating back to the herb garden in front of the house. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed that an older dog could be capable of communicating with a younger one something to the tune of “head back, young pup, you aren’t a guardian yet.”
After two weeks on the homestead, Yeti is allowing Otis to crawl all over him, tug at his tail and jowls, clean his teeth, chew on his discarded bones, borrow his favorite keep-cool-spots around the clearing, and sleep curled up with him on the porch and lawn. Otis continues to overstep his bounds by the hour, either tugging too hard on Yeti’s tail, eating before Yeti has finished, or tasting a bone before it has been fully relinquished. When this occurs, Yeti gives Otis the faintest little snarl, curling his lips and baring his teeth in back-off bravado. We have been amazed at his gentleness. He could have easily snapped at Otis a thousand times by now or knocked the little one about to show him who is alpha in these woods. But Yeti’s true fierceness continues to be reserved for intruders only, particularly bears, mountain lions, elk, and turkeys (which he harbors a particular hatred for).
Here are some pictures to better visualize Yeti and Otis’ brotherhood beginnings. We assure you, Yeti has no intention of hurting Otis despite how fierce he looks in his play and discipline of his new apprentice. These aren’t house dogs, after all. Nor are they merely pets. Yeti and Otis are, respectively, full-time homestead guardian and guardian-in-training.
In summary, we are beyond thrilled with Otis’ progress as a homestead guardian in his first two weeks with us. We are also very impressed and touched by how Yeti has adopted him in and begun showing him the ropes. Our family gives the Great Pyrenees breed our highest recommendation for farm and livestock guardian, as well as family pet and watchdog. They are simply the best with the kids and protecting our home and borders. If things continue to go well, Yeti will have a patrolling partner to help carry the load in just a few more months.
I so look forward to seeing Yeti & Otis guarding the clearing together. I can see them now charging the fence line in a duo, bounding majestically through the meadows side by side. How my heart swells with pride already as they come galloping and toddling up to me from some escapade or other, panting with the pleasure of hearing me call out into the trees, “Good job, Yeti. Good job, Otis. That’s my boys!”
Thanks for following our homestead guardians!
Love, Candace Arden
More posts about Yeti:
