He shares a name with a Greek god, but — with his short legs, big nose and hairy back — is easily underestimated.
“Most people laugh when they see him — until he gets out in the woods,” said McCaffrey, an outdoorsman, 51, who spends more time these days helping fellow hunters than bringing down game himself.
“He gets a whiff of blood, and he’s a wolf. The blood tells him there’s an animal out there that he needs to hunt down.”
This time of year, Zeus is the cat’s meow for dozens of hunters who have shot a deer but can’t close the deal.
Zeus finds the deer about 30 percent of the time — sometimes dead, sometimes alive, McCaffrey said.
The dog’s small stature proves to be an asset: His nose stays close to the ground, and he is easier to control on a leash — which the state requires for tracking dogs.
Read more about Zeus and his adventures, and see another photo at The Columbus Dispatch.
