Wolfdog and Owner Surprised While Hiking When Coyotes Answer Howl From a Distance
No matter how long I've been around animals, they still manage to impress and surprise me. I'm still learning new things about my dogs after years of love, and I'm sure it's no different for the owners of larger animals. After all, animals of all kinds experience new things every day! Life will never be fully predictable, and that's part of the beauty of it (in my opinion). Just ask these gorgeous wolfdogs and their human mom, who had the coolest experience while hiking in Utah.
When the trio was out on a November 28 hike near Salt Lake City, one of her wolfdogs, Kiba, let out a howl at the top of a hill. That's predictable for a wolfdog, to say the least, but everyone was shocked when a pack of coyotes answered in the distance! The look of surprise on everyone's faces is just as great as the surprise answer from the coyotes somewhere in the valley below.
OMG! I've never seen or heard of something like this happening before, and it's just as cool as it sounded. I can only imagine how amazing it was to hear the coyotes' howl in person, especially in response to your own dog. No wonder the pet wolfdogs were just looking around in shock!
Related: Man and Wolfdog's Unlikely and Beautiful Friendship Is So Inspiring
It's equally surprising to me that several commenters had similar stories to share. The only time I've heard animals responding to each other is when the neighborhood dogs all get worked up at the same time.
Howling is a Social Activity for Canines
It makes sense that similar howls could elicit a response from multiple species, but it sure seemed to take these massive dogs (although, technically, wolfdogs are not the same as dogs) by surprise. Who can blame them?
Several canine species--including dogs, wild dogs, wolves, and coyotes--treat howling as a social activity. It's like an invitation to join in, even if they don't know who the howl is coming from. Northern dog breeds like Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies use howling to communicate out in the snow, so they're far more likely to partake in this activity in the home or out on a hike--just like Kiba from @happywolf__!
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