Family dog saves pregnant woman from mad moose
Published Monday, January 28, 2008
Julie Closuit poses Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, with her dog Berry in her Goldstream Valley home. Last Monday, Closuit was charged by a moose while walking Berry, but the 3 1/2-year-old Rottweiler came to her rescue by scaring the moose away.
It was dark, but the glow of Julie Closuit’s flashlight was bright enough and the moose was close enough that she could see it lay its ears back before it charged.
“I mainly remember it looking at me and putting its ears back and coming at us,” Closuit said. “It didn’t think twice. It came right for us.”
That’s when Berry, Closuit’s 3-year-old Rotweiller, sprang into action.
“As soon as I saw the moose, she jerked the leash out of my hand,” said Closuit, who is six months pregnant.
Closuit, 26, had taken Berry outside to go to the bathroom at their Goldstream Valley home last Monday around 7 a.m. As she does every morning, Closuit walked around the corner of the house with a flashlight to check for moose or the neighbor’s loose dog before bringing Berry out. After seeing nothing, she returned with Berry on a leash.
“We got to right about here and Berry started alert barking,” said Closuit on Sunday, re-enacting the incident with Berry at her side in the 20-degrees-below zero weather. “I thought it was the neighbor’s dog.”
But when Closuit shined her flashlight in the direction Berry was barking, she saw the silhouette of a moose’s head and two glowing eyes. The moose was hidden behind a spruce tree about 20 feet away.
Just as Closuit was thinking, ‘Oh crap, what do I do?’, Berry pulled the leash out of her hand to confront the moose. The friendly 76-pound Rotweiller rushed the moose and circled behind it in a C-shaped herding pattern.
“The moose veered toward me and Berry followed it and went around behind it,” Closuit said.
With the moose bearing downon her, Closuit, a lifelong Fairbanksan, did what her parents had always told her to do as a child in the event of a moose attack — she dove behind a pair of birch trees.
“It was already coming toward me,” Closuit said of the moose. “It ran right over where I had been standing.”
Berry returned to Closuit’s side as she scrambled to get to her feet. She looked up just in time to see the moose preparing to charge her a second time.
“It put its ears back again and took a step forward and Berry got between me and the moose and was barking,” Closuit said.
The moose retreated in the direction of Closuit’s walking trail, but Berry saw the direction the moose was going and made a swooping turn to head it off. The moose spotted the dog and took a right turn away from the house and back into the woods.
“She cut it off at the trail and drove it into the woods and barked at it like she was saying, ‘Don’t you come back here,’” Closuit said.
While they are now mainly used as protection dogs, Rotweillers were once bred to be herding dogs, Closuit said. After seeing her in action, Closuit can see why.
“I have never seen her instincts kick into gear like that,” said Closuit, who has had Berry since she was 6 months old. “She was in her element.”
After calling Berry back to her, Closuit ran back into the house and counted her blessings.
“I’ve had my fair of share of experiences with moose in my 26 years but nothing nearly this close,” she said.
Closuit’s husband, Jon Logsdon, was in the shower during the incident. He could tell something happened as soon as he saw her.
“When I got out of the shower she was sitting a chair sort of wide-eyed,” he said. “She said, ‘A moose almost attacked us.’ ”
This is the time of year that moose can start getting grumpy in Fairbanks, said Cathie Harms with the Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks. It’s the coldest part of the winter, their energy reserves are low and there isn’t much for them to eat.
Moose aren’t as likely to retreat now as they were earlier in the winter because they don’t want to expend the energy to do unless it’s absolutely necessary, she said. Just like people, moose become crankier as the winter goes on.
“They’re more likely to have an altercation with people later in the winter,” Harms said.
A week later, Closuit, a payroll technician at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, still gets excited talking about the incident. The whole episode couldn’t have lasted more than 30 seconds, she said.
“It was the most exciting minute in my life,” said Closuit, who plans to put a fence up around her yard to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Berry, who went back to chewing on a toy shortly after the incident, is a hero in Closuit’s eyes. The dog was rewarded with treat and toy shopping trips to both Pet Stuff and Cold Spot Feeds.
“I don’t know if she saved my life but I didn’t need to go to the hospital,” she said. “Even if we did have a whole lot of luck on our side, she made the difference in my opinion.”
Community Discussion
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Dogs are amazing..I recall a news story about an elderly man who suffered a stroke while in bed one morning...this man lived alone with his dog...after the stroke, he was unable to get out of bed and no one knew of his plight...the mans dog kept him alive by making repeated trips to the toilet bowl with a dishcloth...the dog would soak up the water with the rag and bring it back to his invalid master, thus keeping him alive for over a month when, finally, the mans brother came to check on him...both of these dogs deserve fillet mignon for the rest of their lives...great story..
As a Rott owner (x a few), that's exactly the response I'd expect from a well bred, well trained Rott in "that situation". And she sounds like an educated, experienced Rott owner. By taking her dog on what we refer to as a "time out", that time spent with people and other dogs at the stores, will condition her to be respectful rather than rambunctious. These are great dogs, but not for everyone. Thanks to the News-Miner for printing that story and showing them at their best.
I just joined theSite forums here, I hope I'm not posted as "anonymous", anyway,
wow, incredible story. the dog saved the woman.
living here in Anchorage, I've seen 4 moose up close THIS winter alone-2 mama's with calves even!!, as I work a late shift in downtown and walk home most nights,
they'll step out of the woods, they'll hide in the treeline, and once a Mama moose kept me away from the covered bus stop!!
haven't been charged or stomped yet!!, let's hope that never happens.
be safe out there everyone!!
theSam!!
slflyinghorse
anchorage, alaska
-alaskavillagetales-
I know this lady and her dog. This dog is sweet and very well behaved. Her owner is indeed a very experienced dog person. Her mother from an experienced canine search and rescue unit.
I am not surprised at her dogs actions. I also had a rottweiler from the same breeder. He also reacted similarly in a situation where I needed protection.
They can be great dogs with the right owners.
As a prior Military K9 handler and a current owner of a Red Nose Pit Bull I know the potential of a canine. My military K9 literally saved lives on a weekly basis by detecting explosive devices and could make an entire bar full of people that are in the middle of a fight hit the walls and stand motionless after just barking a few times. Dogs are amazing! In my mind there is no such this as a bad dog, there are just bad owners (Vick). My pitbull is a true ambassador of the breed. I've changed peoples minds about the stigma that is associated with pitbulls. My pitbull is 70 pounds and not even a year old yet. Three friends actually changed their outlooks on the breed so much that they went and got one themselves. I love to see stories like this one that show the true side of these amazing companions and not just the bad that "makes good news drama ratings".
I have a rottie mix from the pound. She is about 7 years old with a mind of her own. I have had her about six and a half years. I have seen her literally herd moose through the woods, nipping at their heels, then dodging when they turn around and barking and nipping at them until she gets them to move where SHE wants them to go! They are definately hearders with hearts as big as a moose! I am so glad that neither of you were hurt. It's a heartwarming story. Thanks for sharing it.
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