Timber Wolves

Hi! Have you ever thought about how a Timber wolf hunts... how they become alpha male/female... or even when pups start maturing? Well, the way of the Timber wolves are so fascinating! Everyone (well a lot of people,) think Timber Wolves (and other wolves such as Arctic or Red wolves,) are vicious, mean animals who attack people. But they're wrong! They only attack you if you harm it or the pack. I don't see why people don't believe that. Wolves are amazing!

Timber Wolves hunt in groups called "packs". They hunt animals like moose, caribou, deer, and occasionally they eat small things like rabbits and fish. But they won't attack any animal they see. They pick off animals that look weak and old. But if they can't seem to kill it, they will back off and find a weaker and older animal. Timber Wolves can smell any animal from a mile away. When they do (at least when they're hunting,) they will find its location. After they find it they close in on it, and if they can manage to, they will attack the back side of their prey, or it's "rump."

A pup will start hunting about the age 5-6 months old. Until then they eat their mom's breast milk or chewed up meat from others members of the pack. But when they're ready they will tag along with the pack.

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Mindy, the Sheltie

Just last year, my beloved dog, Mindy, a Shetland Sheepdog, was put to sleep. It was a horrible feeling, just to know that my amazing dog, my friend, companion and a part of the family was gone. It hit our family hard for those next few days. The house felt so quiet and empty without Mindy, and I just wish we could of said goodbye.

She was such a great dog, and when I heard on the phone that day that she wasnt going to make it, I knew that wherever she was going, she would make anyone and anything happy to have her company. When my dog died, I decided to help get over the pain by researching a little about Shetland Sheepdogs and letting people around the world just how amazing they really are.

Usually when I would go around my neighborhood to walk and let Mindy do her "business," people would almost always confuse her with a collie like Lassie. The sheepdog is a whole different breed and was not bred down from the full-size collie. Most Shetland Sheepdogs, or shelties, at the shoulder, should stand around 13" or 16". The most beautiful part about this breed is there gentle, sweet look and those pointy ears that come up whenever a sound is heard, and this can warm anybody's heart.

One of the most funny, but annoying things Mindy did during her life, was to bark and turn into a maniac at the sound of the doorbell. She would start barking and run around the house, until, like she did a couple of times, she ran into something. I soon learned that that was not uncommon for shelties. Shelties are a very responsive breed, and that is also why Shetland Sheepdogs are used as herders. Also, when shelties are raised as pets, they grow a loyalty to their families, and become very close to children.

That was all why Mindy was as special as she was. All dogs are amazing, and I love all of them, but some are better than others in some ways. Mindy, she wasn’t just amazing, not just ordinary, but she was extraordinary. She was almost like a sister and I will always love and miss her.

- Lara, 12, USA