How to Use pack animal in a Sentence

pack animal

noun
  • Dogs are not pack animals in the way wolves are.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
  • As pack animals, pups want to stay close and protect their humans.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025
  • In the past, of course, armies used the low-tech solution of pack animals to move their gear.
    — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 26 Dec. 2018
  • As mostly solitary hunters rather than pack animals, like dogs, cats don’t have to wolf their food down to be sure to get their share.
    — C. Claiborne Ray, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2018
  • The use of pack animals to carry hikers' gear in and out of the canyon is controversial, to say the least.
    — Scott Craven, azcentral, 24 June 2019
  • Felt was also used to make warm, weatherproof clothing and footwear, and blankets for pack animals.
    — Susan Brown, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2023
  • Hikers and bicyclists should stop on the side of the trail while horseback riders or pack animals pass, the agency said.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2026
  • The donkeys were also smaller than is expected of pack animals.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 17 Mar. 2020
  • As pack animals, dogs are hardwired to seek closeness with their family, whether canine or human.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Their wrangler made the heavily laden pack animals run up the Canyon, then tied them to a railing with no water in the trough.
    — Russ Wiles, azcentral, 10 May 2018
  • The few visible trails had been kept open by the passage of wild donkeys descended from colonial-era pack animals.
    — Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
  • While pack animals are available for a fee, the only way down is via a helicopter (long waits often are necessary) or your own two feet.
    — Scott Craven, azcentral, 11 July 2019
  • The vibration of the simulated heartbeat—which can be turned on and off—helps ease their loneliness (dogs are pack animals).
    — Jennifer Tzeses, wsj.com, 17 Oct. 2023
  • The dogs surpassed all expectations, traveling faster than any pack animal could in the wintry terrain.
    — David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Mar. 2023
  • The resulting pack animals measured 61 inches, or 15 hands, from the ground to the withers.
    — Franz Lidz Samuel Aranda, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Social and athletic, huskies are pack animals that love being part of the family and require plenty of exercise.
    — Liz O'Connell, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The pack animals fiercely defend their flocks by braying, kicking wildly and charging, teeth bared, at potential predators.
    — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
  • Of course, regular racetrackers found nothing unusual about this happening to a pack animal.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2020
  • Analysis also revealed stress on the bones that occurred when the donkeys were alive -- but not the kind of stress typically found in pack animals used for carrying heavy loads.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 17 Mar. 2020
  • Some towns have been practically cut off, forcing residents to rely on pack animals and occasional passing cars to get to the nearest city.
    — Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 15 May 2020
  • Modeling them as pack animals might change the apparent scavenging success rates of our own ancestors when in competition with the canids.
    — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
  • Unlike dogs, house cats are not descended from pack animals, so these cats aren’t generally considered innately social.
    — Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023
  • The bustling Tang capital was the eastern terminus of the Silk Road trade route, and donkeys were frequently used as pack animals.
    — Michael Price, Science | AAAS, 16 Mar. 2020
  • There’s something distinctly out-of-control about having an unpredictable pack animal in your home, not to mention one that tracks in all kinds of allergens and minuscule crawly things.
    — Jim Cosgrove, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
  • But the Russians aren’t merely experimenting with donkeys for the kinds of rough terrain that actually lends itself to pack animals.
    — David Axe, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Knowing how difficult the grieving process can be, Jennifer wanted to normalize letting your pets say goodbye, especially as dogs are pack animals.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The park today offers spectacular vistas and touring by automobile, hiking, biking or pack animals.
    — Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 13 Sep. 2024
  • The service drops off and picks up mail at Hualapai Hilltop at a higher elevation, from where pack animals descend roughly eight miles to the village of Supai.
    — Russ Wiles, azcentral, 10 May 2018
  • The tribe's statement acknowledged that the August 2024 flooding impacted pack animals.
    — Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 28 Sep. 2024
  • The Mountain Mule Packer Ranch, which specializes in terrain pack animal supply trains, sent loads of food and supplies yesterday by mules, which are able to traverse the difficult terrain.
    — NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pack animal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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