Bigfooting With Your Pup

[LeafTalker]

Coonbo, this is priceless information. Thank you so much for it. 

[Guest zenmonkey]

Thank you for sharing up that info. Looks like a fine dog I'm sorry he's not with you on the journey now.

[Guest]

Thankyou coonbo im sorry you lost your friend i know how that feels. Do you think Boogers are capable of interacting with dogs.without hurting them?

[Guest JenJen of Oldstones]

I'm glad to hear so many people keep their dogs on-leash when outdoors. I am one of those who can't let my dog off her leash, ever, unless she's in a securely fenced area. She's very one-track mind and has her nose to the ground more often than not when we are on walks and when she's on the trail of something she'll forget that I'm on the other end of the leash. She bolted once when she was a puppy and "turned deaf" as (I think) Painthorse said.

 

What I wonder is, if you don't have the kind of experience Coonbo has, how would you even know if your dog is smelling a Bigfoot? I have no clue what my dog is smelling when she picks up a scent. All I can guess is that it's one of the following: a deer, coyote, raccoon, squirrel, bobcat, or fox, because those are the creatures I've seen around here. How would I know if she was smelling a Bigfoot if I took her with me to Sam Houston National Forest?

 

Edited to add: Coonbo, I've listened to every podcast I could find with you as the guest, and loved hearing about Bo's exploits as much as I enjoyed listening to yours. I was always amazed at what a smart, trustworthy dog he was. I can't imagine how much you must miss him.

Edited January 9, 2014 by JenJen of Oldstones

[chelefoot]

Gomez does me the same way JenJen. If he gets loose from me, he takes off and runs.  The closer I get to catching him, the faster he runs from me. It's very frustrating!

[Guest JenJen of Oldstones]

Thank you Chele! Sometimes I feel guilty about it, but I would just die if anything bad happened to her because I let her off the leash. I just can't take her near water anymore because she LOVES water (except the bathtub, go figure. You'd think I was trying to throw her into a lava pit.) and I don't think it's fair to her to watch other dogs frolicking off-leash in the water while she is being held back. But the one time she bolted, it was because I had her off-leash so she could play with her puppy friend in the creek.

[Guest Grifter9931]

Brother NDT:  Thanks for the kind words.  And Bo probably thanks you too.  I believe his spirit is still with us.  He was a Booger-dog par excellence.  Yes, Bo knew boogers.  And in my ignorance, I almost lost him a couple of times to boogers.

 

My buddy Bo:

 

 

This is Bo in the woods with me in NE Mississippi back around the late 90's. We were by ourselves.  He's sitting beside a structure or marker I believe was made by BF.  It consisted of a green sapling bent over and its top pegged to the ground by a dead limb that didn't come off of any of the trees nearby:

 

 

This next pic shows Bo in booger territory on the back of our farm in Alabama on April 14, 2001.  This massive tree-bow appeared during the very night after my brother bush-hogged that fire break the afternoon of April 13, 2001.  The tree is a hickory that was 9" in diameter, and there had been NO overnight storm or wind.  We went back in there the next morning to cut some downed trees off the north end of the fire break and found this. 

 

This is an important picture germane to this thread in that it shows Bo at his "safe haven": my truck.  If you are going to take your dog "boogering" and he/she is allow off-leash, that dog absolutely MUST have a "safe haven" to retreat to if there are BF in the area and he feels threatened.  Your dog must come when called and "load up" instantly on command.  Bo would hop into the back seat of the truck if a door was open, or if not, he would jump up onto the toolbox where he could keep an eye on things.  If we were away from the truck and he was off-leash and we got into boogers, he would come to me and whine.  If I didn't take the hint and back out of there, he would abandon me and go to the truck.  He would give me plenty of ample warning, but sometimes I didn't "get it" or didn't want to leave just then, so he would abandon my butt.

 

 

Another shot at the same location 10 months later.  That's my buddy Bear and my son under the same bowed tree.  We tried to get Bo to pose with them, but he was having nothing of it.  There were boogers about and he was headed to the truck which was just behind me and the camera.  BTW, that tree just happens to be pointing straight towards a large cave less than 75 yards away that we are sure that BF use at times.

 

 

Bo sticking close to the truck, at another Mississippi location.  No boogers in immediate vicinity, but they had been there not long before.  He knew they weren't too far away.  We were by ourselves again, as we very often were.  A good "booger dog" is an invaluable asset if you do much field research by yourself:

 

 

These next two pics are important.  Bo checking out wads of dog fur hung in a cattle panel in south Missouri where two dogs had been brutally killed and one horribly maimed by BF. 

 

 

At same investigation as above.  Note Bo on leash and on alert.  He knew when we were in booger country.  We were quite a distance from the truck and I didn't want him to get separated from us.  Note bark pulled off and big fingernail mark on black cherry tree to the right of Keith's head.  This is just down the hill from dog kill site.  The dogs killed were a large lab/German Shepherd mix and a badass Belgian Malinois.  The dog maimed was a German Shepherd.  They were all prolific barkers.  Boogers do NOT like barking/yapping dogs.  Noisy dogs do not last long off-leash in BF country.  We believe a BF was collecting black cherry sap "jelly balls" along that fence line, and the dogs were barking and raising heII at it, and the BF finally got tired of it and shut them up.

 

 

Bo, on our very first trip into a certain area of Indian mounds, by ourselves again, as was usual in 95% of our research.  Note his ears already at "half staff", and note the small mound out in the field off the end of his nose.  I should have paid closer attention to him.  About 30 minutes later, and 200 yards away, we ended up being surround by at least eight angry and aggressive boogers that scared the bejeebers out of us.  Bo, knowing that boogers like to belly crawl up on you and will crawl up under your truck, retreated to the roof of the truck rather than trying to hide under it. 

 

Awesome dog..... Why on earth would you take him to go look for BF.... 

[Guest Coonbo]

Grifter:  You're right, he really was an awesome dog.  But he was also my best and closest friend and companion through several years of my life.  Also, where we lived most of that time, we were right in the middle of serious booger territory and he dealt with them virtually EVERY day, and learned to survive.  He would NOT stay in my house or a big kennel outside.  He tore through doors and multiple times did Rin-Tin-Tin dives through glass windows to get out of the house when I tried to leave him indoors.  He escaped from every outdoor kennel we ever had, no matter how elaborately I reinforced it.  He was the most intelligent, determined, and headstrong dog I've ever encountered - and this is coming from someone who was raised around dogs and dog training his whole life.  But, he was well behaved and absolutely LOVED going to the woods with me, even when there were boogers around.  He understood about me going to work, but other than that, if I was leaving the house for any reason, he WAS going with me.

[Painthorse]

Coonbo, I just have to say what a handsome dog Bo was, wonderful looking shepard!

[Guest zenmonkey]

Coonbo, What podcasts have you been on? I'd love to see hear them. Painthorse your alive the apes  didn't get you!

[Guest Coonbo]

Thank all y'all for the kind words.  Since Bo died, I've had three other German Shepherds in the field with me as "Booger Dog" trainees.  One of those washed out, and I never took him again.  While Bo was alive, I had a Southern Mountain Cur, an Alaskan Malamute and another German Shepherd as Booger Dog trainees.  All three of those washed out, and were never taken again, although all that washed out were excellent pets. 

 

To sum it up, here is what I look for and expect out of a "Booger Dog".  I'm going to use the pronoun "he", but females can be just as good as males.

 

BOOGER DOG REQUIREMENTS:

 

1) The dog must be taught to be well behaved and able to sit or stand quietly on a leash or lead.  A lunging, pulling dog is a pain in the butt to have to deal with.  While in the field with others, you need to be as quiet as possible and you often want to be close to one of your fellow researchers to whisper to each other if necessary, and you don’t need a dog wrapping up your and other folk’s legs with the leash.  And the dog must not be jumping up on folks. 

 

2) The dog has to be circumspect and pay attention to what’s going on around him.  This does NOT mean that the dog should be sniffing around exploring all the time.  The dog should have his nose up, not down in the dirt all the time.  When his nose is down, he’s focused on what’s happening four inches in front of him.  If he's lying down, he must still be alert to what is happening around him.  He must be paying attention to know what’s going on 50 to 100 yards out into the boonies.  This is a natural thing and difficult or impossible to train into a dog.  Either they have it or they don't.

 

3) The dog must be quiet when BF are around.  I don't mind a dog that barks or woofs a few times when a stranger walks into the camp, but he must be able to differentiate between humans and BF, and know not to bark like crazy at BF, deer, squirrels, rabbits, birds, and other wildlife.  This can be taught to a dog, but he better learn quickly because yapping, barking and howling dogs don't last long in real booger country.  It's OK if the dog lets out a whine, low growl, or quiet woof to let you know something's going on, but there shouldn't be any wild, persistent barking, especially when on leash or on a tie-out.  A yappy, barking dog, once released, has a much higher probability of becoming a booger hors d'oeuvre when it gets out of your sight, if there are any of our hairy friends around.   And don’t even think for a second that a booger won’t nab your dog within earshot of you.  I personally have heard that happen. 

 

4) The dog must not wander far when off-leash and must come quickly when called.  It's impossible to keep your eyes on a dog 100% of the time when he's off leash, so you must be able to trust that he'll not go far from you.  And when he does get out of your sight, he must know that he has to come back and find you and "check in" every few minutes.  You help him to learn this when you realize you can’t see him and you call him and he comes to you quickly, even if he was only behind a bush 20 feet away.  When he comes to you quickly, you praise him, pet him, and give him a treat, if you have them.  This is positive reinforcement and can and should be practiced as part of his training.  Most dogs naturally want to please their masters, so when they learn what pleases them, they’re glad to do it.   A really good booger dog is one that is trustworthy and will naturally hang close to you.  A dog that runs off and “goes deaf†when he’s off leash and out of your reach is no good as a booger dog.

 

5) The dog must be taught that “Load up†means to get in your vehicle immediately.  He also needs to learn that your vehicle, or the one you’re traveling in, is his “safe haven†away from home.   This is so that if you’re in the boonies somewhere and the shi….. uh…. doodoo hits the fan, your dog will know to go to the vehicle quickly, and not run off somewhere else.  This could save his life.  My dogs will sit in my vehicle with a door or doors open for hours at a time.  They learn this at home by positive reinforcement that good things happen in your vehicle (he gets treats in your vehicle, he gets to go to McDonald’s for a cheeseburger, he gets to go to the park, to Pet Smart, to other fun places for them).  They learn that the words “GO†and “Load up†are wonderful things.  It’s also good if the dog has been taught to come to the sound of your vehicle’s horn blowing.

 

6) The dog must be well socialized with other people, of all sizes, shapes, sexes, races, and ages if you want to take it on any outing with folks other than your immediate family.  He should also be well socialized with other dogs that he meets and not be one to start fights or be overly aggressive to other dogs, especially other dogs of the same sex.  He should be trustworthy to wander around in your field group and accept petting, handling, and interaction from folks he has just met without ANY worry of him biting anyone.  This socialization is the responsibility of the owner and it should be realized that if boogers are in the area, the dog can be under stress and that’s when inadequate/improper socialization can show up with bad results.

 

7) Male dogs must be taught not to pee on tents and camping gear if they are to be around campsites or on overnight outings.  All dogs must be taught to do their pooping outside the camp.  Or if they do poop in the camp, you gotta clean it up. 

 

Here are a few additional pointers that I’ve learned over the years of working in the field with lots of dogs of many breeds.  It’s good to know how your dog will react to a gun being fired about 100 feet away from him.  You don’t want it to go completely berserk and run away blindly.  If it scares the dog, but it will still come to you quickly, that’s ok, as long as it comes to you.

 

In the event that your dog does take off chasing a deer, rabbit or some other wildlife (even a booger) and won’t respond to your calls, quickly firing a shot into the air will often break it’s concentration and it will suddenly be able to hear and respond to your call.  You’ve got to yell for the dog immediately after the shot.  I’ve used this method many times to successfully turn a running or chasing dog and get it to come back.

 

If your dog normally treats your vehicle as its safe haven or home away from home, and for some reason suddenly doesn’t want to load up, sit in the bed of the truck, or stay near the vehicle, there’s a good chance that a booger has sneaked up really close to or belly crawled under your vehicle.  It’s the juvenile boogers that normally play this game.  I almost lost Bo one night by not realizing what was going on and I’ll relate the story of that little adventure:

 

Four of us, along with Bo, had gone to one of my favorite research areas and it was around 10:30 on a very brightly moonlit night and we were sitting  on a dead end, very isolated farm road between two fields with hedgerows on both sides of the road.  I’d already turned the truck around and it was pointed in the way out.  We’d been there about a half hour to 45 minutes and Bo wouldn’t settle down and wouldn’t get in the bed of the truck and sit on the toolbox, as he normally did at that location, and had started fighting me trying to get away from the truck.  I literally couldn’t drag him to the back of the truck.  I didn’t know what his problem was and thought maybe he needed to poop really badly so I unleashed him.  He loped up the road towards home, which was over seven miles away through booger infested woods.  When he got to where the road entered the woods, he stopped and shied away and started running along the tree line towards a nearby swamp. 

 

By then I realized that something was wrong and I had gone running after him.  I also heard boogers where the road entered the woods and hollered at Bo.  When he realized that I wasn’t near the truck any longer, he came running back to me and I could tell he was scared.  Two of the folks with me had gotten scared by then and decided to get in the truck.  When Bo saw the truck doors being opened, he ran wide open to the truck and jumped in with the folks.  Another researcher, Ken, and I stayed out of the truck, watching and listening.  He was standing on the field side of the hedgerow on the passenger side of the truck next to a bushy black cherry tree and I was on the field side of the hedgerow on the driver’s side of the truck next to some wild plum bushes.  After a while, I had to pee, so whupped it out and was taking care of business when, just as I was finishing up, I became aware of something literally breathing down my neck.

 

I whirled around to my left and my shoulder literally bumped into the chest of a booger about 6 to 6 ½ ft tall that had sneaked up right behind me.  It growled at me and took off running across the field to the north.  We almost collided again as we both took off.  The growling and loud scrambling footsteps scared Ken and he broke running for the truck, and as he came past the cherry bush, I was running towards the truck and clearly saw a booger about 6 ½ to 7 ft tall lean out of the bush and swat Ken across the shoulder blades as he ran by.  That got ol’ Ken up into overdrive.  The boogers were counting coup on us.  Ken’s booger then broke and ran down the hedgerow to the west.

 

The folks in the truck had locked the **** doors and were too scared to open them and Ken was yelling and about to rip the door handle out, trying to get in.  I managed to get my keys out and mashed the remote twice to let him in and we both piled in and I fired up the truck and we got the hell outta there.  About 50 yards into the woods, the boogers had shoved down two trees across the road, one from each side, trying to block us in.  I slowed down just a little and decided to put the brush guard and heavy duty suspension to good use and just blew through the limbs and bounced over the tree trunks, and prayed I didn’t take a tree limb through the radiator.

 

I don't know if I ever got my zipper zipped.

 

The moral of this story is to pay attention to your dog.  If he suddenly won’t do something that he normally does (such as get in the bed of the truck, or acts scared to stay near the vehicle) you need to realize that there’s a reason for this.  A good booger dog is very wary of boogers and KNOWS that Big Hairy is at the top of the food chain.  Your dog will try to let you know something ain’t right, but you’ve got to be smart enough to pay attention to him.

 

Another little tidbit that is sometimes helpful to understanding your dog: With many breeds of dogs that have any guarding or protection instinct, remember that males are somewhat more oriented towards protecting a specific person and females are somewhat more oriented towards protecting a territory.

 

By the way, if you’re camping in possible booger country, do NOT leave your dog tied or chained out at night.  He should be in the tent with you, or if that’s not possible, then locked securely in your vehicle with provision for adequate ventilation and cooling for him.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Coonbo

[Guest Grifter9931]

Grifter:  You're right, he really was an awesome dog.  But he was also my best and closest friend and companion through several years of my life.  Also, where we lived most of that time, we were right in the middle of serious booger territory and he dealt with them virtually EVERY day, and learned to survive.  He would NOT stay in my house or a big kennel outside.  He tore through doors and multiple times did Rin-Tin-Tin dives through glass windows to get out of the house when I tried to leave him indoors.  He escaped from every outdoor kennel we ever had, no matter how elaborately I reinforced it.  He was the most intelligent, determined, and headstrong dog I've ever encountered - and this is coming from someone who was raised around dogs and dog training his whole life.  But, he was well behaved and absolutely LOVED going to the woods with me, even when there were boogers around.  He understood about me going to work, but other than that, if I was leaving the house for any reason, he WAS going with me.

 

I have a friend who has racehorses and I cringe every time she rides them in a race. But as she has reminded me on occasion, "this is what they love doing" and I get it...

I guess I would be having a .338 lupa conversation with BF if anything happened to my dog... Nonetheless great looking animal, better friend and  companion... 

 

Cheers

[Guest]

Wow great stuff coonbo and great story! Do you think the one you bumped into was under your truck at first ?

[Guest DWA]

My experience with dogs brings them down to three types:

 

1.  Runs 15 miles....while you walk 5.  (25, while you walk 10.)  You see him occasionally.  Almost can't make it back to the trailhead.  Wassup, master?  Why do you keep going?  I'M DONE...

2.  Stays right with you ...UNTIL PEOPLEPEOPLEPEOPLE! show up; some of them enjoy the canine attention; some of them (raises hand) wonder why they didn't bring the Ruger this time.  "Oh, don't worry; that multiplicity of razor teeth you just felt on your wrist don't mean he bites!"

3.  Behaves.  Is an actual hiking partner.

 

In my opinion:  bigfooting (thank you for not saying 'squatchin') can only be hindered by 1 and 2; and only enhanced by 3.

 

(Beagle and 3:  extra bonus points.)

[Guest]

Coonbo & Bear really opened my eyes about these animals and how to conduct myself in the bush when looking for them.  I was a very experienced outdoorsman and was almost embarrassed at how little I knew about these things.  Coonbo & Bear took me under their collective wings, made me an Honorary Southern Redneck, and I will never forget the experiences.  I have the Alabama Sex Rock Coonbo gave me within arms reach here in my office.  If a guy is really lucky, he might get a couple friends like this once in his lifetime...

 

I don't think I ever saw Coonbo & Bo ever more than 15 feet apart, and have lots of pics to prove it.  I don't have words to convey how savvy Bo was, it was something you had to see in person.  I learned real quick to keep an eye on his attitude.... 

Edited January 9, 2014 by NDT