OF, soo funny!   And oh so true! 

 
Thought we would share a little tale from last night.....

Mike and I left Lucy and Jack alone while we went to Home Depot for Mike to use his gift card from father's day from Ali....On the way home my girlfriend called me and i was still talking when I let Jack and Lucy out the back door.....Lucy seemed troubled by something in the back of the "pool area" yard and ran about halfway to the fence barking...Jack stayed with me and didn't chase after Lucy (clue #1)--my girlfriend even heard Lucy in the background....Mike had stayed down in the garage cleaning up and playing with his new used lathe his brother gave him....Lucy starting barking more fiercely and I thought I heard Mike running outside the fence -to scare Lucy I thought as Mike thinks scaring is so funny---he'll get his someday--so when Lucy starting running up against fence I thought sure I would see Mike any minute come in the back gate---but I heard the gate move, a high pitched schreek catlike growl and then Lucy came running to me at 100mph with her tail between her legs-(clue #2)--at this point I screamed into the phone and then starting screaming for Mike----as I finally realized it was not him---unfortunately the lathe was running and he did not hear my screams for help..so there I was with my two pups and the cell phone and my paniced friend hanging on the phone hearing me scream---kind of like Scary Movie (for real)....I scooped up Jack and Lucy ran in the house on her own...so I called Mike in the garage and said "something had lucy in the woods" not realizing I should have told him that I had Lucy inside---he came running with a shovel handle screaming like a madman---it was getting dark so it was hard to see anything---he came inside and got his 1,000,000 million candle flashlight (battery) and was standing up near Harry's place at the fence looking into the path in the woods and just as he saw something big walking towards him---his flashlight ran out----so of course I run into the house---to hide but realize I have to get him another flashlight----so now at least Mike knew I was not kidding---nothing else happened last night so we went off to bed but of course I had scary animals dreams---trying to get Lucy, Jack and even Jess and Harry---horrible night sleep---but I woke up this am feeling better until Mike and I took Jack and Lucy out to pee and Lucy went running barking again at the same spot as last night and then Mike heard the growl.....so needless to say I am in the house today!!!  and looking for a move to the city!!

Mike thinks it might be a coyote or even a fox as there had been reports of a rabid fox 5 or so miles from here---but what he saw last night has him questioniong that...due to its size ..many years ago we confronted a mountain lion in our woods-behind the bog-and stupidly ran from it---I was in clogs at the time and Mike kept saying he was glad he could outrun me!!!   Off and on through the years neighbors have said they too had seen it around that time--but nothing since--I thought that it was a deer until I saw it had a long straight tail and Mike screamed "deer don't have long straight tails so run"......lol...funny now but after last night and this am I will NOT be walking in my woods anytime soon...  There is so much building going on around southern RI that we see animals showing up on the news in places they just shouldn't if mother nature had her way! 

I told Mike I am too old for this---I want those 6 foot stockade type fence around the whole yard now!   and he didn't make me feel any better when he siad maybe that the animal could smell Jack....what the heck---keep those comments to yourself!

Very scary story!  This sounds larger than a coyote or a fox, if Mike said it was "big" before the light went out.  I don't think a fox would look "big" to a golden retriever owner! This also does not sound like typical fox behavior, unless, as you said, it is the rabid fox.  Foxes are typically quite secretive.  (We have suburban foxes where I live.)

The high-pitched catlike growl suggests a bobcat or lynx to me, if it isn't the mountain lion, which can also make a sound like that.

Anyway, glad you and your family are safe!

Racoons growl also & bears. Sounds like something larger than a fox,racoon or coyote though.

I am going to call---however this past winter a coyote was right at the wooden fence in the front yard and Harry and Lucy were standing up on the fence and it didn't scare it away too quickly so i was worried and called the police who gave me the emergency DEM phone number and when I called all they said was Oh....where do you live..okay...bye..and they never came by.  I was shocked as I was worried why a coyote that I thought at first was a small german shepherd was not spooked by 185 pouinds of dog barking...I thought rabies...but I guess they weren't....hard to get anyone riled up here---guess they figure if you're still here to call them that it's okay.....


Mike thinks maybe there is a den or something nearby as we have alot of big rocks that were piled together during our construction....but I will never know as I will never go out again (just kidding) but Lucy and Jack will not be out there alone fence or no fence...

So Im assuming Mike knows he has to stay home for the rest of his life right?     Carol, I can totally understand staying indoors forever more, lol  After we had a bear come up all our stairs to the front door one year, I wouldnt go out the rest of the summer unless DH was there....

Okay.........my heart is thumping like mad in my chest.....

I am so very glad that you are all okay.

Katie is very right.  The potential for rabies is certainly there. 
Fish and Game along with DEP need to be called.

Please continue to keep yourselves safe..............whew!!