Charged by a Moose

Snow flurries in September and 6 inches in October - a good sign for the season. Training is progressing well, assisted by almost perfect temperatures and a nice base of the white stuff.

Handler, Louis, has settled into the cabin and the routine of training. We have three teams of fourteen dogs, one which is a yearling team. He is focusing on developing younger leaders and addressing a few behavioral issues which will keep our team moving forward smoothly.

So far the most exciting or scary event of the season was my evening encounter with a moose. After work one evening, I took the yearlings out for a short run. It was my first night run and I took a headlight but quickly realized the batteries were fading so I would have to rely on the headlights of the four wheeler.

We had seen quite a few moose around the neighborhood but they always vacated the trail when approached and never seemed a threat to the team. This night I chose to take the River Loop - my second mistake of the night since it is a popular hangout for moose. As we wound our way alongside the river, the dogs ears suddenly picked up and one or two expressed a woof. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark figure moving off to my right. I stopped the team and then I directed my light to the front of the team where two bright eyes stared back, hovering above my leaders.


Not thinking too clearly I dismounted the ATV and started to move toward the leaders, waving my arms and yelling. I thought I could scare it away - LOL. Instead of being intimidated by the two legged, noisy being the moose moved off a bit, turned and charged directly toward me and the dogs. There are not many sights more intimidating than a 1000 pound moose bearing down on you. She was mad and nothing was going to stand in her way. I quickly stumbled and dove out of her path and she thankfully ran over the dogs without touching anyone.

We have been fortunate over the years to have had very few moose encounters. I have a friend, Russ, who named his kennel Moose Crossing Kennel because of the numerous tangles he and his team have had. He carries a gun for protection on every training run. I actually had a gun with me on this particular night; next time - if there is one- I think I will pull it out before facing off with the moose.