Sam and the Buffalo ( 2012 ) By Gayle M . Irwin Spaniels by Nature are very loving , surpassing all other Creatures , for in Heat and Cold , Wet and Dry , Day and Night , they will not forsake their Master . ~ Richard Blome GRRRR ! I tried to shush him . My seven - year - old Cocker Spaniel , his head raised from the bed , growled intently . I placed a hand on his blond body , attempting to lay his head back down . Instead , growling again , he raised his entire body into a sitting position , concentrating his stare on the patio doors off the bedroom . I glanced at the clock — 3 a . m . Groaning , I said , " Sam , it ' s not time to get up yet ! " He barked , not a Cocker Spaniel yip , but an intense woof ! And he jumped off the bed . Wide awake now , I detected danger . A woman living alone eight miles from town in a sparsely populated region of Montana . I reached for the pepper spray I kept on my nightstand . I tiptoed to the curtained sliding glass doors . Standing to the left side , I began to pull the six - foot long swag from the glass . Sam ' s stare never wavered . He rushed toward the doorway , barking furiously , and causing me to jump further from the glass . Then , I heard the moaning . Deep , bellowing sounds reverberated from the deck . Pepper can in hand , I poised , ready to spray the foe that waited outside . Sam ' s barking intensified and the hair on his blond shoulders stood erect . More moaning and groaning , but no body appeared . I peered around the curtain . No person stood on the deck . Bright moonlight made the September night like day , so I surveyed the surroundings . Still no visible intruder . I stepped away from the safety of the curtain that covered the patio door . Smack ! The wooden deck shook as if we were having an earthquake . The movement rippled to my bedroom floor , causing us to jump . Then , I saw him . Dark brown hair rippled in the night breeze as he stepped from the shadows . Then another , smaller , most likely younger , fellow followed in his steps . " Oh ! " I exclaimed in astonishment . Two bison stood in the light of an autumn moon , having sought a hideaway for a few hours slumber under my deck . Having recently moved to a small town outside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park , I had heard stories of bison leaving the park and traveling through the area where I now lived . And though I had visited Yellowstone numerous times and encountered the large , wooly animals while driving , never did I imagine any would come this close to my residence . Fascinated that these bison were so close , I stepped onto the deck . And before I could reach backward to slide the glass door , Sam bounded through the opening , leaped down the deck steps and rushed the bison . Frantic , I commanded , " Sam , come ! " As usual , he ignored the summons . Within seconds canine and bovine were face to face , nearly nose to nose . Sam ' s barking persisted . With a combination of scolding and scaring , my fearless dog took on an animal nearly one hundred times his weight and three times his height . The younger bison squalled and stepped back in surprise at the assault . The older , larger male , however , simply stared at Sam and grunted . As my dog rushed at the bull ' s face once again , my screaming for him to " get back here ! " again ignored , the bull went from annoyed to angry . The great creature stomped his front foot and shook his massive head . I envisioned my dog pierced by one of the bull ' s black horns , caught in the air and shaken until dead . Somehow , Sam sidestepped the bison ' s horns . He must have finally understood the danger he faced , for after one more deep growl and tough bark , Sam scampered back to the safety of the deck . He stuck his tan head between the rails and again railed against the wooly intruders . Tiring of the incessant noise , the two bison lumbered away , heading for the quiet of those lots without houses . Sam and I watched as they moseyed several hundred yards away , snipping at dying grasses along the way . The two giants lay down near one another after leaving the area occupied by a crazy dog and his snooping human . These would not be the last buffalo we ' d encounter . About a month later , I came home late from work on a snowy night . As I entered the driveway , the car ' s headlights captured an unforgettable scene : about two dozen cow and calf bison taking refuge under my front porch . Several of the calves huddled like football players while their mothers surrounded them , protecting their offspring from the harsh elements . I sat in my car mesmerized by the incredible sight : snow , wind and very large mammals . How was I going to get into my house with these huge creatures blocking the entrance ? Female bison weigh nearly 1 , 000 pounds ; the calves , about half - grown , easily weighed half of that , and these great creatures stood between my bug of a car and my front door . Then , I heard him , my protector , my rough and tough canine companion . At the living room window stood Sam , his Cocker Spaniel serenade braying from the house into the night air . Ten minutes later , the herd of mothers and their young wandered away , the lead female bison escorting the rest to the sanctuary of nearby forest lands . --- The End --- from chickensoup . com 사업자 정보 표시 | | | 사업자 등록 번호 : -- | TEL : -- | 사이버 몰의 이용 약관 바로 가 기