Answers to the Tracking Mystery

OK, it was a trick question. The tracks in my last post are domestic dog tracks...Three-legged domestic dog tracks. I did see the animal. He's about 30-35 pounds, looks to have some boxer in his background, and he's had an amputation of his right front leg at nearly chest level. I watched the dog move, and still can't tell you what gait I'd call his rocking-horse motion. He got along nicely, without seeming to miss his leg. In looking at the tracks, his left foreleg has moved to center, and is kind of twisted to right. I expect it gives him more stability. I believe I'd recognize these tracks again...although I have't seen them, or the dog since the morning I took these photos. I am grateful that I was there with my camera at the right time to catch him in the freshly falling snow!

Tracking Mystery For Your Enjoyment

If you know me at all, you know that I love to track animals. Once in a while, I get some really nice photos of something...unusual. So, I'm gonna give you a couple of days to think about these photos, then I'll tell you what left these really cool tracks. Here's a bit of information to help you figure it out, and some tracking questions:

• Found in the street in my neighborhood at the edge of Duvall, Washington on a snowy morning.
• There's nothing for scale in the photos, but I'm not going to help you.
• What animal left these tracks?
• What gait is it moving in?
• Is it wild, or domestic?
• Can you tell right feet from left feet?
• Can you tell fronts from hinds?
• Could you recognize this animal's tracks if you saw them again?
• Tell me the story that these fresh tracks in the snow tell.