Coyote suspected in dog disappearance | Cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com
BLUE ASH -- Les and Elece Kovel thought their 15-year-old dog, Bauer, had become confused and wandered off when he didn't return in a few minutes after being let outside just before bedtime.
They looked for him in their Blue Ash neighborhood on foot and in their car, but didn't find him.
The next morning, Elece saw white fur from her dog and brown fur from another animal in their front yard. A state wildlife expert who looked at the brown fur gave her the bad news: The brown fur was from a coyote that apparently had killed her black-and-white Papillion, a small dog, and dragged him away.
"A coyote attacked him about 30 feet from our front door," Elece said. "I had just been away from the front door for a few minutes."
The incident serves as a grim reminder that this is a time of year when coyotes often roam residential areas hunting for food for their newborn puppies.
"They're also teaching their puppies how to hunt in order to survive," said Josh Zientek, a state wildlife officer assigned to Hamilton County.
Coyotes are afraid of people, but prey on small dogs and cats, especially in the evenings hours, the coyotes' favorite time to roam. Their usual prey are rodents and rabbits.
Zientek and other wildlife experts suggest that people let their small dogs and cats outdoors only when they can watch them.
"If they see small dogs and cats, it's an easy meal for them," Zientek said.
Jerry Lippert, a naturalist with the Hamilton County Park District, said when people spot coyotes in their yards, they should chase them away.
"Yell at them, throw things at them, teach them that they're not supposed to be there," he said. "You don't want to let them get comfortable in your yard."
While the coyote population in the region has grown significantly in the past 20 years, there's no indication that there are more coyotes this year than last year, Lippert and Zientek said. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has no reliable estimate of Ohio's coyote population.
Blue Ash Police Chief Chris Wallace said coyotes have killed dogs and cats in Blue Ash in previous years. He encourages people to call the police and report coyote attacks or sightings.
To avoid attracting coyotes, residents should never leave pet food or any other kind of food outside, Wallace said.
"Some people feed the coyotes because they think they're like dogs," he said. "But they're not. They're wild predators."