Close Encounters of the Critter Kind

As you get out and about, you will find that there are more than humans roaming the streets of Peachtree Corners! If you are lucky, all of your close encounters will be of the friendly variety. But there are others…

There is one very large, very menacing dog that is a legend in these parts. I have seen it loose on a number of occasions. Most times when it is loose, it is camped out at the top of its driveway. Merely moving to the other side of the street is generally sufficient to avoid it. I have mentioned this dog to a number of people and it seems it has a nickname – Cujo! It was loose one day and charged me. I stood stock still and eventually, after sniffing me, it walked back to its driveway. I moved away quickly.

One morning I started to cross a street, looked to my left and there was a HUGE Doberman Pincer. I do mean HUGE!! It could have licked my face as it stood with all four legs planted firmly on the ground. I stopped and watched it for a few minutes. It watched me back. I slowly tip-toed backwards until I could not see it anymore then headed back up the hill at top speed.

There are the dogs on leashes. I always enjoy meeting and greeting them and the humans on the other end of the leash. Except for one time. The only dog that ever actually and physically attacked me was a foot tall mop on leash!! Before I knew what was happening, my legs were bound up by the leash and the dog was gnawing on my shin. The dog owner seemed to feel it was my fault for being in the vicinity and after she unwrapped the leash and freed me, headed off in a huff!

Then there are the wild critters. As civilized as we think we are, there is still a lot of native fauna surrounding us. Most encounters are nice. Like watching deer cross Lou Ivey before sunrise. I recently saw two does with yearling fawns just cross casually in front of me. I have had a fair number of deer sightings, always just before dawn. There are almost tame rabbits in Pinkneyville Park. I have also observed raccoons scampering along Lou Ivey.

Last winter, on one memorable very cold morning walk, I saw a bright yellow flash in some juniper shrubs. It was a tiny but beautiful black and gold bird. I stood and watched it as it navigated through the bush for almost five minutes! When I got home, I checked my bird book (I am a bird watcher, big time) and was able to identify it as a Golden Crowned Kinglet.

That same morning, I walked a little farther and saw two wild turkeys in someone’s front yard. I was able to get very close to them. Some days are truly better than others.

But there is always the close encounter of the scary kind. I have seen foxes in the pre-dawn hours. They take one look at me and off they go. That morning, it was just daylight and I was walking by the big garden on Lou Ivey when I spotted a fox walking up the hill toward the garden. I stopped and stood stock still. I pretty much stopped breathing. The fox approached me, looking very confused. Then it walked away, stopped and approached me again. After it stood looking at me for what felt like forever, it walked off into the woods.

I grabbed my phone and called the Gwinnet non-emergency line to report the incident (I have that programmed into my phone). No well fox will ever approach a human, especially during daylight hours. This was on a Saturday morning. I called back on Monday and found the GPD will not even log a call like this unless you are being gnawed on when you call!! Arrgghh!!

I have since heard of other like encounters in that area, so be very aware of the possibilities. Mostly the encounters have been friendly, and in some cases, amazing! Walking is not only good for your body, it is good for your soul!