Two Wolves
Photo: This is Thorn. I worked hard to get this photo and he thought I was crazy, putting him on a sit stay behind a tree, then coaxing him to look. But it is inspired by a famous wolf photo by Jim Brandenburg called Gray Wolf. Wolves have always been mystical and spiritual animals for me. Maybe because I grew up in Northwestern Ontario (but rarely saw them) and maybe because of their similarity to their cousin the dog. For many years I was a member of the International Wolf Centre in Ely Minnesota and that is where I first saw this picture (below), copied here from the allposters.com website...
Since I have moved to Alberta, it was time to get a new license plate for my car, and a new beginning also means a new plate. My old plate in Ontario was BIS TDX, which were my GSD Robin's titles. I don't think I will ever have another dog like Robin, with those titles. She was a once in a lifetime dog, and a force of nature! If you knew Robin, you know what I mean. So, I did not choose a new license plate lightly. But I did want something that was representative of all of the dogs. Not just tracking, not herding, and not breed-oriented.
Or are the two wolves River and Caden. Most would say so, since they are sable German Shepherds and look like wolves...
But then again the Border Collies Jet and Ted stalk like wolves when they are herding sheep, and herding behaviour comes from wolf pack behaviour (and I try hard to be the pack leader)...
I remembered a license plate I saw once, when driving in Minnesota, along the Lake Superior North Shore. I loved it then, and I still love it. I checked with the One Stop License Shop, and it was not taken!
So here they are, the old and the new plates...
And if you look closely - you will see that the new one is really two words in one...Two Wolves.
So, who are the two wolves? I paired up all of the dogs in different combinations to see if any pair jumped out as naturals for this title...
What do you think? Are the two wolves Jet and Caden? They are the youngest in the pack, and definitely act like two playful wolf pups most of the time.
Or are the two wolves River and Caden. Most would say so, since they are sable German Shepherds and look like wolves...But then again the Border Collies Jet and Ted stalk like wolves when they are herding sheep, and herding behaviour comes from wolf pack behaviour (and I try hard to be the pack leader)...And some would say the boys are the wolves...pick any two from these three wolfy guys, Shaman, Ted and Caden...
But my gut tells me the ones who are the wolves at heart are the two girls, Jet and River. They may look sheepish in this photo (they did NOT like the license plate balancing on their backs!) but they are the two I have to keep the closest eye on, and they definitely rule the boys!
So now, when you see a green Honda Element, watch for the TWOLVES license plate, and be sure to say hi!
But my gut tells me the ones who are the wolves at heart are the two girls, Jet and River. They may look sheepish in this photo (they did NOT like the license plate balancing on their backs!) but they are the two I have to keep the closest eye on, and they definitely rule the boys! So now, when you see a green Honda Element, watch for the TWOLVES license plate, and be sure to say hi!By the way, you may have noticed that Jet was always in the SAME SPOT in these photos. That's because she has claimed that corner of the couch and hates to give it up! I know this is blurry, but after I clicked it, she woke up and I didn't have a second chance at the photo...
The littlest wolf (maybe she is really a coyote...)
Category Article Commentary, wolves
