Urban Coyotes
When we moved in last May, our neighbors told us others had told them there were coyotes who lived in the neighborhood. There are railroad tracks behind our fence, and on the other side, the back of another neighborhood with all wooden privacy fences (most of our neighbors have chain-link). Our neighbor also said they used to have an indoor/outdoor cat which disappeared.
So we were always careful about having Pooka out at night. A few months ago, at 2AM we heard a very loud howling which sounded like 20 coyotes (and of course was probably only 5) and it was very creepy. Put a hatchet by the back door.
Then a neighbor across the street told us she'd seen 2-3 coyotes running out of her yard and back across the street. A few houses down there is a waterway/ditch that has no fence so I think they go through there and into the neighborhood to look for food. This made me feel a little better that they don't seem to like to jump fences. I have seen a skunk in that same area. But it also made me worry about having Pooka in the front yard too. We installed motion-activated floodlights in the backyard.
Our housemate was out in the backyard with his husky a few weeks ago and said he heard a few coyotes howling, and they must have been close because they stopped when he went outside.
AND THEN! last week, in the afternoon, I was standing at the back door watching Pooka sniff around the back fence and she started barking (kids and people with their dogs sometimes go walking back there along the tracks) and then from behind the brush a rather large coyote starts trotting by. He doesn't care that Pooka is barking at him and doesn't even really look at her, just trots along, going north. For a split-second I thought "my that is a rough looking dog who actually looks a lot like a .... coyote!" and I opened the door and yelled at Pooka NO and COME and then remembered my recall "PizzlePizzlePizzle!" it took her two barks to finally hear me (it seems like so long) and she turned and ran to me like she's supposed to. (a very very very good training tool). By that time the coyote was pretty much gone and Pooka was whining and wanting to go back outside to defend our territory.
It was very scary and I was all panicky. I calmed down because I was actually very very happy that the coyote was not interested in Pooka one bit. If he had been, I probably would've been too late, or it could have caught up to her in the long run. My husband told me coyotes aren't really inclined to jump fences. They're not like deer. Now I watch Pooka when she goes out pretty much all the time because this happened in the middle of the day.
I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge on urban coyote behavior. If coyote's are less inclined to go after other canines? (I remember there was a sad story on here a while ago of someone's corgi getting dragged off and being put down) or if it was simply because this coyote was by itself, or if they tend to only hunt at night? Can someone confirm they won't really jump fences, especially as a pack?
My husband said ranchers would buy human hair from barbers and spread it along fence lines to keep some animals away. Any tips like that? I don't know if that would work with urban coyotes.... any thoughts would be appreciated.
So we were always careful about having Pooka out at night. A few months ago, at 2AM we heard a very loud howling which sounded like 20 coyotes (and of course was probably only 5) and it was very creepy. Put a hatchet by the back door.
Then a neighbor across the street told us she'd seen 2-3 coyotes running out of her yard and back across the street. A few houses down there is a waterway/ditch that has no fence so I think they go through there and into the neighborhood to look for food. This made me feel a little better that they don't seem to like to jump fences. I have seen a skunk in that same area. But it also made me worry about having Pooka in the front yard too. We installed motion-activated floodlights in the backyard.
Our housemate was out in the backyard with his husky a few weeks ago and said he heard a few coyotes howling, and they must have been close because they stopped when he went outside.
AND THEN! last week, in the afternoon, I was standing at the back door watching Pooka sniff around the back fence and she started barking (kids and people with their dogs sometimes go walking back there along the tracks) and then from behind the brush a rather large coyote starts trotting by. He doesn't care that Pooka is barking at him and doesn't even really look at her, just trots along, going north. For a split-second I thought "my that is a rough looking dog who actually looks a lot like a .... coyote!" and I opened the door and yelled at Pooka NO and COME and then remembered my recall "PizzlePizzlePizzle!" it took her two barks to finally hear me (it seems like so long) and she turned and ran to me like she's supposed to. (a very very very good training tool). By that time the coyote was pretty much gone and Pooka was whining and wanting to go back outside to defend our territory.
It was very scary and I was all panicky. I calmed down because I was actually very very happy that the coyote was not interested in Pooka one bit. If he had been, I probably would've been too late, or it could have caught up to her in the long run. My husband told me coyotes aren't really inclined to jump fences. They're not like deer. Now I watch Pooka when she goes out pretty much all the time because this happened in the middle of the day.
I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge on urban coyote behavior. If coyote's are less inclined to go after other canines? (I remember there was a sad story on here a while ago of someone's corgi getting dragged off and being put down) or if it was simply because this coyote was by itself, or if they tend to only hunt at night? Can someone confirm they won't really jump fences, especially as a pack?
My husband said ranchers would buy human hair from barbers and spread it along fence lines to keep some animals away. Any tips like that? I don't know if that would work with urban coyotes.... any thoughts would be appreciated.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by LaVerne & Shirley on
-
A lady I met camping lost her Corgi last summer to a coyote. It took her right off their porch while they were in the kitchen. They live in a small town in Washington state. Her Corgi was on the smaller side. Around 18lbs. :o(
I hear coyotes around my house at night but I only see signs of them during the day. I never leave my dogs outside unattended even though we are on 5 acres but I dont have a fenced yard either.
-
Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
-
Where was that? A friend in Bellevue, WA (city just east of Seattle) encountered a coyote, daytime, in her yard, which appeared unafraid of people.
Al and I encountered a coyote at Snoqualmie Pass (near Hyak ski area) last May, range 20 yds? Unconcerned with being seen, but did not approach. We'd heard it bark around the bend, so I'd put Al on-leash, expecting people with a dog. Beautiful animal.
I've heard they will playfully lure a dog away, then pounce.
Saw one last fall in Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park, where they know they are safe: open alpine tundra, approached within 20-30 yds., utterly unconcerned, healthy-looking dog. They are very much aware of the human threat or lack thereof.
-
Permalink Reply by Lawren and Teddy on
-
John, I have them near me here in Redmond. I live really close to Lake Sammamish and they like to hang out around the trail, in the greenbacks that are around. I live up against one, and have seen them in the wee morning hours hanging around my condo complex. I had one grab a rabbit one night outside my bedroom and that woke up the cats and dog. Teddy really wanted to be let out of his crate and get the interloper. They are aware of everything and don't seem to be afraid of anything. We had a pair hang around my work (work is a mile away from home) and were unafraid of the trucks pulling in and out of the parking lot and all the people around a shopping center. The most brazen accounter I've had with them with in the middle of the afternoon. I was on a Metro bus going to Issaquah down West Lake Sam Parkway. Three coyotes were trotting down the street, not minding the cars or bus. The driver told me he saw them everyday, always out in the open. Kinda freaky. They were coyotes around when I was growing up in San Diego and Phoenix but aside from sometimes hearing them howl, they were never seen.
-
Permalink Reply by Shepdog on
-
Uh... around here we have a huge problem with them. (And yep, Washington State.)
As someone who did wild canid rescue for many years, unfortunately, a coyote changes their behavior to meet the environment. I personally think that in most situations they pose a bigger threat to both young humans and pets then a lot of other predators here. They take advantage of situations, and learn behavior from their parents, and they adapt to areas specifically. Here they do pack up; they come together in family groups and hunt when game is scarce and split when it's plentiful, and come back together again. Have to give them credit - their adaptability makes them amazing survivors.
It's funny, I'm fifteen minutes from work, over a bridge. I have seen coyotes trotting blithely down the highway once I pass over the bridge to where my shop is, or in downtown (yep, downtown) Winslow in daylight, casually crossing the road or even eating out of a tipped garbage can. (And yup, it's a coyote, not a dog.) The coyotes on the island know they cannot be shot (well, or won't be shot.) The rule is -- the only time a coyote is trapped or shot is if it's annoying livestock or a threat to humans. Here, if they eat your pet, it's considered a non-action.
Fifteen minutes away, I live on reservation land, and you bet they're shot. We have a lot of folks here with livestock. They see a human, they run, and they are not active during the day. If I see them at all, it's late at night, driving, and they bolt to get off the road.
It has gotten to the point where I can expect my customers to lose two to four cats a week - and yes, during daylight hours. There's no confusion about what got the cats either -- people have seen them take cats off of porches.
One of my customers lost her small dog (around 18 lbs) to a Coyote who climbed over the baby gate on a screened in back porch. So, yes, they can and will jump, if they want something bad enough. They're actually good climbers.
And no, they might be on the smallish side but they have killed large dogs, sheep, etc in our area. Granted, the large dogs were both older and had health issues, but still they weren't tiny dogs. One was a Shepherd mix, the other a lab mix that was chained, but yes, it was confirmed that both were coyote deaths. Someone here locally did also lose a Corgi recently to Coyotes.
Trust me on this one - just because regional Coyotes are smaller does not mean that they are shy. Each area is case by case, and each situation, the animals have a different reaction.
-
Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on
-
I went looking around for Texas-specific information and found this report, which says that urban Texas coyotes do attack larger dogs (and prey on large animals including sheep and calves) in addition to eating small dogs and cats.
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
We live in a suburb of Lansing, Michigan (state capitol) but back up to a large park with very busy hiking trails. I have seen the coyotes out of my windows a couple times. I never let my dogs out at night unless I am watching. With the doberman, I doubt if we would look like an easy target but she catches all manner of critters so I am afraid she would go after one if she got out. The forest animals are very adaptable to our neighborhoods and that includes the coyotes. It really only takes one neighbor to leave garbage out and the critters find a new fun area to eat! The only tip I have is not to leave your pets unattended. I have encoutered the half eaten carcasses of cats that people leave out. I keep mine in, it is safer for them and healthier for us. The deer etc were here before us and have adapted.
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
As several people have mentioned don't feed or leave bones out!I wouldn't even let them chew a bone outside as that will leave a scent. I NEVER feed my animals food outside.Thus no food scents to attract them.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
Here's a story about raccoons killing cats and attacking a small dog:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14486644/
Here's another one about raccoons attacking a dog:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/01/a-pasadena-woma.html
Just for some perspective.
-
Permalink Reply by David on
-
Besides getting a .22 or a Rottweiler, may be you can call professional wildlife removal expert? In the mean while, keep your corgi in the house at night. Coyotes carry rabies and other disease.
-
Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
-
Here's a 6 year old paper on Urban Coyote, everything you need to know :)
-
-
Lots of problems in California with wildlife losing its fear of humans; a coyote is very dog-like and I would presume a coyote that was not afraid of people would pose all the same risks that a not-so-friendly and untrained loose dog would (attacking kids and moving objects, etc, as listed in this article).
We have an area here where lots of people have moved in from New York City and feed wild animals, and bear attacks are on the increase there. Bears are usually shy (I've never seen one) but one recently snatched a child; it turned out the people had been putting out food for it for some time.
-
Permalink Reply by Alice on
-
Many of the ones here are not afraid of humans. Years ago a friend and I would go to Krispy Cream Doughnuts on Saturday night and sit in the car eating and throwing pieces to a coyote that was always there. She'd get within 4ft of the car.
With the recent Coyote attacks they are telling people if they see coyotes they should go inside as now are now considered a threat to people and not just animals.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
