A long time ago, all the dogs decided to have a meeting. They invited leaders of dogs from all over the world, but not the coyote.

"We don't want him here." they said. "He is not of our kind, he is the coyote."

But Coyote heard of the meeting. It was to be at a great tipi. So on the night of the meeting, Coyote sat outside of the tipi in the trees watching the dogs from everywhere going to the meeting.

Now when dogs go to a meeting, they take off their tails and leave them outside, setting them in a place where they can find them after the meeting.

Once all the dogs were in the tipi, Coyote crept closer, his steps covered by the playing of the drums inside. There Coyote sat, listening to the drums and the dogs talking. After a while coyote could not take it any longer. He had to do something.

First he found the dogs� tails, then he tossed them around until they were all mixed up. Then he ran around the tipi yelling, "Mad bear! Mad bear!"

Dogs and bears did not get along, and dogs were very afraid of the bear. In a panic, the dogs ran from the tipi, tripping over each other. When they got outside, they could not find their tails, so they grabbed the first tail they could find, and ran off into the woods.

And still to this day when dogs meet, they check to see who's tail they have.

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Compiled by: Glenn Welker





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