Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday August 1, 1997

Little Red Riding Hood Syndrome

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What a nice weekend I had. We had all kinds of visitors and the weather was cool. We had a little rain which settled the dust but it got me a little bit wet too. Dad said I needed a bath anyway so I guess I shouldn't complain. On Sunday I made my television debut. I met with Patricia Richardson, a Clairvoyant and the host of the TV talk show, Mystical Insights. We did a couple of takes for the introduction of the show in which I am the featured guest. Patricia sat up on one of my favorite rocks behind the Gallery and when she introduced me I came up from behind her and stole her notes and ate them. (We wolves can be sneaky. In fact, if you come visit me and you are wearing a baseball hat, if I get a chance, the hat will become part of my collection.) I played with Patricia and even gave her a big wolf kiss. Mom and Dad are going to the studio in September and the topic of the show will be the healing power of animals. The show is on channel 58 and will be aired three times on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the evening hours, sometime in October. I will let you know more when I find out the exact times and dates. Stay tuned.

This week I would like to share with you a major concern of mine. It is the fear that many of you have of wolves. Those of you who are afraid of us are suffering from a very terrible social disease that I like to call "Little Red Riding Hood Syndrome". It is very contagious and spreads quickly especially when sitting around a campfire out in the wilderness, or in a movie theater with a three story high surround screen. You are not to be blamed for your fear because ever since you were young your parents and friends instilled this fear in your memory through superstition, fairy tales, legends, fables, and folklore. Hollywood reinforced this fear through the movies. However there is a cure, and it is my job to help you on your road to recovery.

First let me define fear. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. To help you recover, let's replace superstition with facts. Probably the worst superstition of all is that wolves will attack people. The fact is that there is no documented evidence that a wolf has ever attacked a human being unless it has been provoked or is rabid. While I happen to enjoy being in the company of humans, most wild wolves are terrified of man and will do their best to stay as far away from people as possible. I do like humans but I am very cautious of the adult male and this is because men have relentlessly hunted and killed more of my cousins than any other animal besides the buffalo. I will eventually warm up to a man, but instinct still keeps me on the cautious side. Several of my female visitors have told me to always beware of males. I wonder what their experience has been?

Do you remember the story about the three little pigs? Well next week I would like to continue to help you on your way to recovery by displacing yet another myth about wolves. I would tell you more this week but recovery is best done methodically. It took years for you to learn fear, but Dr. Cheyenne will have you cured in no time at all.

Cheyenne