A recent Outdoor Life article included information about a German shepherd that launched itself from a moving Jeep in Yellowstone last Friday to chase a wild gray wolf—because of course it did. Captured in a crazy photo series by guide MacNeil Lyons (Yellowstone Insight), the chaos peaked when the two canines squared off on the road south of Canyon Village.
“It was a stare down for a hot second,” Lyons told Outdoor Life. No bites, no barks—just a dog with bad judgment and a strong recall. The owner, a Florida man, got slapped with multiple citations and faces a court date in July.
According to the article, Lyons later defended the guy, calling it an accident, including that the real insanity came from phone-holding tourists who stampeded toward the wolf like it was a selfie station.
Here is part of what Yellowstone Insight posted about the incident on their Facebook page:
“Many are quick to judge this situation.
1. The guardian of this dog might not have realized the back window was open. It was the dog that made its own decision.
2. We are all human & we all make mistakes.
3. If there is a finger to point at this moment, it should be pointed towards to the countless people (some with zoom camera lenses) who ran in the direction of the approaching wolf!
– Stay in your car if a wolf approaches you.
– Do not move toward a wolf.
– Abide (like The Dude says) to the Park Regulations ( Stay 100 yards away from a wolf).”
So, in summary, try not to let your dog chase wolves, and remember that YNP is not a Disney movie set. However, Yellowstone Insight private tours really does know where to find wildlife at YNP.
Read the full article by Outdoor Life here.
Photo credit: MacNeil Lyons/ Yellowstone Insight
