Family hears unusual calls witnessed in Mendocino County, California

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Last night, Jan.16,2005, I took my dog outside for a little walk. We live on 2 acres in Redwood Valley, CA. It was dark and about 6:00 with a mod. overcast sky, the moon peeking through the clouds. We have a small dog that will usually bark in response to any other dog barking in our area. Houses are well-spaced on our rolling hillside that's covered with a mix of oak and pines. From Hwy. 101 looking west, you see very few houses on our hillside. Anyway, as I was walking I could hear this very unusual "animal" sound unlike any I've heard before. It was NOT a dog howling and I'm not even sure how to describe it. We have coyotes and mountain lions and the sound would not fit the description of their cries or calls either. It had a yelling/howl quality that lasted about 5 seconds , would break off and then resume about 15 seconds later. I went in the house to get my husband so that he could hear the sound. My dog was not barking which is really unusual because he's inclinded to bark at do...