COYOTE stalking my boys!!!
 

UGH! I hate living in the 'country' (if you can even call it that) with 2 small dogs.

Last summer, a hawk targeted my boys and we got them inside in the nick of time before it swooped down. But last night was the WORST!!!!!

About 11pm, I let my boys out in the yard to go potty before bed. Although the yard is mostly fenced in, there is 1 area that is not, so I always walk out there with them. They ran to the one area not fenced in and then ran off to the other end of the yard. The area not fenced in is SUPER dark so I can't see anything but last night I heard something moving right beside me up on the wall and I could hear it breathing. I tried not to panic and got my boys inside the house safely. That area of the yard is near my bedroom window, maybe 3 feet below the window, that's it. I told my fiance that something was there and he said probably the neighbors cat. I said I didn't think so, it was bigger and I could hear it breathing, I was only about 7 feet from it. He didn't know so I went into our room into the master bathroom to brush my teeth. From right on the other side of the window right on the wall that overlooks the backyard, 7 feet from where I was standing minutes earlier, I hear BARK BARK HOOOWWWWLLLLLLLLLLL, BARK BARK HOOOOWWWWLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! OMG.... A coyote!!! literally feet away from me and my boys. Now I would have fought like a tiger, a mama bear to protect my boys.... but it could have been faster than me.... it could have HURT me and it could have just TAKEN my boys!!!!! :( :(
I feel sooooo grateful and relieved that they are here still, but OMG, soooo scared about a next time. :( I'm a wreck thinking about what could have been and making new 'letting the boys out in the dark protocol procedures'. From now on, no one lets them out when they are alone. 2 people at all times. Also 1 person has to go out there and make sure there is nothing around, make noise and scare anything off. Fiance will install a spot light hopefully this weekend to illuminate that dark area and we are now talking about a fence.

Last night COULD have been a disaster of the worst kind for me.

I was nervous just reading this!!! You must have been so scared. Thank goodness, you and your pups are alright. Maybe you can get a motion detector light. If anyone or anything walks by it will go on. It's a good idea to get the fence put up too. I hope that coyote doesn't come back anymore!!

I am so glad nothing happened. It's a real problem when your babies could look like a snack to a wild creature. Hopefully, lighting the area will help keep it safer for your furry babies. All our best that nothing bad like what 'could have' happened ever happens to any of you!

glad everything turned out ok i can only imagine the panic and upset you must have felt.

In some ways, Kansas is not so bad.....LOL. The coyotes are perfectly happy in their natural habitat here that they don't come too close but I certainly can see the problem in other areas. I'm so glad you got inside when you did.

Yeah, I was very panicky!! I could hear it super close to me and couldn't see it. I just had a gut feeling to get my boys inside as quickly as possible. I couldn't believe it would venture that close to the house, I mean it had to be literally touching the side of the house where it was. :(

If I were you, I would have a chain link fence installed with chain link on the top too, attached to the house with doggie door and cement floor. About a 5x8 size and maybe 6 1/2 to 7 feet tall.

Wow! Funny you should talk about coyotes. Last night I heard some weird whining/mewling type noises with growling. I texted my husband that I was hearing strange noises (I was in bed, he was doing something on the back porch before bed) he texted back that their were some coyotes behind our back fence (it's a forested area behind our house). I'm so glad we have a 6 ft fence surrounding the yard, and we never let Gypsy out by herself!!

Coyotes can jump as much as 8 feet. a 6 foot fence is a good deterrent but it won't keep out determined coyotes. :(

I would not let them out off leash at all. At least if they are on a leash, you can pull them back. Yorkies are fearless and could go after the coyote and that would be it. :(

Oh my, so glad that all of you were ok...we have them here too.

How scary! I cannot believe it was so brave... I'm glad you heard it and were able to get in quickly!

:eek: I'm glad you and your babies are okay.

Coyotes can be brazen, especially now that they are growing increasingly accustomed to being in developed areas. Please protect yourself and your pups.

I would get yourself a small cross bow or high powered BB gun if you're not allowed to shoot them with a gun...

wow thats scary!

If you're planning on living there for some time, it would be a good investment to get a tall fence.

Yeah, the fence needs to be at least 9ft tall all the way around to keep them out.
Something else you may want to look into is motion sensing sprinklers. I found some on Amazon a bit back....

Amazon.com: motion sensor sprinkler

I am so glad that you and your doggies are ok. I bet you about croked after it happened. I panic after and worry about what I could do if it ever happens again. Here in Fl. There are just so many dangers even in a fairly built up areas. Just last Sat. my neighbor ran over carrying her little Chihuahua and his lttle face was swelling. "OMG," I ask "what happened ?" She cried "Fire ants bit him !" I ran and got my liquid doggy bendryl, and we gave him a dose. I called my Vet, because hers was closed. We just watched him closly for the rest of the evening and he was ok. But it was scary !

Don't want to add to your stress, but I wouldn't let them out at all (even on leash) until I was sure the coyote was long gone. A couple of months ago, a dear friend of mine had a coyote snatch her chihuahua while she was standing on her doorstep. The dog was on a leash and standing right next to her. It happened so fast, poor Lucia was gone before my friend even knew what had happened.

I wouldn't take a chance with my babies if I were you. Take them out on leashes and stay near the house with a light on. Try to take them out earlier if you can.

I live outside of town in a wooded area. I take care of homeless cats that have been dumped here and we have lost plenty of them to the predators. We have owls, hawks and coyotes around. I only walk Gracie later in the morning and never at dusk or after. Coyotes are especially brazen and fast. Your baby would be gone before you had time to take a breath. Keep the leash short and close to you. I'd get that spotlight up fast if I were you. A hungry coyote is not afraid of a human if it sees a meal nearby. Make sure you don't leave garbage outside. It attracts smaller prey that in turn attracts the predators.

My girlfriend lives in the country and a few years back a coyote tried to get one of her Yorkie and lucky for her she also had a big Golden lab but not so lucky for the lab. The lab fought off the coyote but he lost the fight but he did save the little Yorkie.

That's horrible :( although I'd kill a coyote before I'd admire it....I feel horrible for them. Pushed out with no food other than our pets....it's humans that are at fault but I wouldn't hesitate to kill one that comes near me!

Oh i would have been so scared :eek: so glad that you and the boys are ok
maybe you could get them to use peepads at night......

glad you and your dogs are alright.

i have seen coyotes in our front yard....

when Kiva was alive i was always very careful and refused to let her out after dark...even in our fenced in back yard....you never know what could happen....it's not worth it!

and now with Hailey here....who is much smaller....i am really nervous. right now she is only 12 weeks old and about 3 lbs. i hate to bring her outside in our back yard unless she's in my arms. i have heard hawks at times. living out here in the country is not turning out the way i had hoped. at times like this i wish i was back in the city.

We live in the city, but right by the mountainside - and we see coyotes down here at street level. I love seeing them....but I don't like them going after our furbutts.

I would be doing more then talking about a fence, there would be a fence by tomorrow & the weekend at the latest. What ever that coyote was standing on would either have an electric fence wire or barbed wire at the same time the fence was put up. Also, you need a pellet gun or wasp spray with you as coyotes are afraid of nothing when they have their sights on their kill & not even leashing your babies will keep them from being taken by that coyote ,if it can get to you & them that coyote will snatch them rite from you leash or no leash. Please be very careful of yourself & your babies.

Know how scarey it can be. We have them plus a cougar & now they have seen a bear. Since the fire last year they have cut down so many burned trees there is no place for them to hunt, my yard is fenced but I go out with them. Had my son make my front yard smaller when he replaced the fence after it burned. I rigged up extra lights so I csn light up almost all the yard now............Hope all the furbabies stay safe

That must have been scary! I have seen a few coyotes near the park system by my house (just a couple of miles away) but since we get deer in the back yard, I wouldn't put it past a coyote to make its way over here... I am always cautious when going outside - not just the coyotes but we have a family of skunks around somewhere - haven't seen the buggers yet, but I can sure smell 'em!

Glad everything turned out okay for you.

I have no reason to keep them on leash ... they can't get out of the yard. Its just the coyote could get in the yard bc it could have jumped down the wall, but the dogs can't jump over the wall to get out, it's 4 feet high. If I had a leash on them or not, that coyote (if it choose to) would have attacked and there may or may not have been anything I could do about it. I'm just sooooooo glad they are ok and it didn't turn into a disaster! :)