Yesterday afternoon (27 April), a strange-looking dog was in our yard - out in the middle of nowhere. It was a spooky thing, very much resembling a Hyena! The front end was powerfully-build, and considerably higher at the shoulder than the rump. It had short, rounded ears and small, dark spots on its head. The head was the typical wedge shape, like the Hyena or Jackal. The thing was bold as brass, standing in the front lawn, looking at us. When we tapped on the window, though, it tore out'a the yard, around the grove, and across the plowing.
The coat was fairly long, and "desert tan" colored, with a mottled appearance. It was hard to tell, exactly, as the thing was covered with mud, having run through the muddy plowed fields around us. It had a short, brush-like tail; about a half-length tail, compare to a "normal", un-docked dog.
Our two dogs went wild, barking and carrying on. I wasn't about to let them out, as they're way too small to deal with something like that. The critter we say weighed probably 40-45 pounds. No collar.
The only thing slightly like it appears to be an Australian Cattle Dog, but their rear end is as high as the shoulder, and the tail is longer.
Weird, indeed.
jb
