Wolf Woes On Top of Grizzly Bear Complex Fire

Wolf Woes On Top of Grizzly Bear Complex Fire

Eastern Oregon rancher Chelsea Matthews and husband Buck manage a ranch near Troy, Oregon which is located North end of Wallowa County. They have lost about two-thirds of their fall grazing pastures to the Grizzly Bear Complex fire near the ranch’s home place. This fire has burned nearly 75,000 acres and is less than 20 percent contained.
They had about 300 head of cattle in a Forest Service allotment that were in fire danger last week that they have been working on bring down out of forest. To add misery to an already really bad week, Matthews shares that their best working cow dog a Border Collie-Kelpie cross named Scooter was attacked and had to taken to the vet
Matthews: “The vet said, ‘This isn’t a coyote. This is a very large canine attacked him — much bigger than a coyote.’ There aren’t any other dogs out here —nobodies has sheep so it wasn’t a guard dog. Obviously, the suspension became a wolf. At this point, ODFW they went in and examined him as well and they have given it a probable wolf attack that is the title on it until the DNA evidence comes back to confirm it. But we don’t have any question in our minds — there is no other option, really. Then we have seen the wolf since — when we were shipping cows.”
She says that they don’t know if Scooter will be able to go back to working cows.
Matthews: “He is doing a lot better. Initially he wasn’t doing very well. It appeared the the wolf grabbed him by the neck and shoulders and then shook him so he had a lot of muscle and tissue damage — well still does — to his back.”
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