I first encountered African wild dogs at the zoo in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, a state to the south of where we live.  I’m not sure how, but I’d never encountered them before.  When we became members at Brookfield Zoo, I discovered a whole habitat for African wild dogs that allows them to run around and, well, be dogs.

This agile little fellow spotted the meat hanging from a tree, which handlers do in order to keep the dogs’ hunting behaviors sharp.  While they’re not pet dogs, this one sure looked like what my dog would look like if she came across steak in a tree.

Hut!  Hut!  Up he goes.

I love the ruff on the back of their neck and shoulders.  They’re really pretty, with rounded ears that definitely give them a not-dog appearance.

Success!  You really get an idea of their physical power when you watch an animal like this pull meat off a hanging thingie.

Look at that face!  More like a bear than a dog, yes?  He caught sight of his mates squabbling over some bones over in another part of the enclosure.

The interesting thing here was that the smaller dog kept whining and what we think must be a growl when the bigger one wanted to take the rack of ribs away.  They did not bite each other, however.  Only the bones.

The interloper didn’t dive right in between the other two, but waited around the edges without making noise or getting too close.

The third one circled to investigate, but went back to his steak in a tree.

The two kept arguing over who would get the rib rack.  Again, neither one bit the other; they only vocalized, (the smaller one did, anyway), and circled around the bones.

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Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

• Darla M. Sands, Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
• Kari Trenten, The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration

Write on, and Happy Blogging!