The day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, 2003, I took a couple of the borzoi, Ruslan and Vikhra,  out for a walk. The place we walk is about 4 miles from our house, it is a private farm road that  has almost no traffic on it. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground so I did not drive out on the road. I parked just off the main road, let the dogs out of the car and started down the road. The borzoi have walked this road many times so they know which way to go. Both Ruslan and Vikhra took off down the road to the first corner and then to the second corner that brings the road next to a small stream. There is high grass next to the stream and the dogs love to smell around in it. The coyotes come down to the stream and hunt mice and voles, so the dogs have a great time smelling everything.

  When I caught up to the dogs I noticed numerous dog tracks in the snow. At first I thought they were the borzois' tracks but they were too round, then I thought they were coyote tracks but they were too big. So I figured they were farm dog tracks and we continued down the road. We soon came to a spot where the stream bank widens and there is a large patch of tall grass. Vikhra got down in the grass and started to run around, she shot up onto the road and then she ran down the road for a while and stopped. She stood and looked back at me and Ruslan as we continued down the road toward her, Vikhra then sat down and watched us, but all of the sudden she took off down the road again. I thought she had put up a coyote in the stream but I did not see anything. I continued to watch Vikhra as she ran down the road and soon she slowed and crossed the stream. She came up near some farm equipment that is stored out there. There is high grass around the equipment and as Vikhra moved into the grass all I could see of her was her tail as she moved around in the grass. I could tell she was after something by the way she was moving. I was sure she had found a coyote and just then I looked up and out in a near by field I saw a coyote running away. I thought, great she has put up a coyote and it is far enough away now that she won't catch it. I thought that she would see it out in the field soon and start after it. So I looked back to see what Vikhra was doing. I could see her tail moving through the grass as she headed toward the little bridge that crosses the stream. Just then out in front of Vikhra another coyote breaks into the open with Vikhra close behind. Vikhra is soon right next to the coyote and she is trying to grab it by the neck. Vikhra keeps pushing and grabbing at the coyote and I start to run towards her and I also try to get Ruslan to go so the Vikhra will have some help if she grab hold of this coyote. Ruslan sees the chase and starts to go, it is then that I notice that this is a very large coyote. It is just as tall as Vikhra, she is 29 inches at the shoulder, and Vikhra is reaching up at its neck. All the coyotes I have seen these dogs run they have had to reach down for, even Revel who is shorter than Vikhra had to reach down for the coyotes she caught.

  About this time Vikhra stops and lets the coyote run off. I am still a couple of hundred yards off and I decide to walk down a take a look at the tracks in the snow. When I reach the place where the chase took place I notice some very large dog tracks and then all of the sudden it hits me, these were NOT coyotes, I had just seen a real live WOLF course with Borzoi. I'm sure this will be a once in a lifetime experience. I was very glad that Vikhra did not get hold of that wolf. After I took a few pictures of the tracks, I walked down to where Vikhra had jumped up the wolves. I found the place they had bedded down in the snow and I found blood and rabbit fur in the snow. The wolves had been settled down resting after a meal of cottontail.

  Vikhra was very pleased with herself and she began to roll in the snow. Then we started back to the car and home, still not quit believing what had just happened.

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