coyotes
 

My hubby is a cop and they deal with reports of coyotes all the time, both sightings and attacks. I don't know where the thinking came from that they are more scared of us then we are of them came from but dh says no way! They don't have much fear especially when they have spotted prey (our furbabies) they will stalk and lay in wait a long time and they are able to learn the pattern we humans have in taking our babies outside. And yes, they won't hesitate to jump a fence, take a look at those long legs. They do carry many viruses and worms but that's not as big a problem as the attacking is. They usually get away with their prey. One more VERY scary item. My husband said a lady called them to come over as she thought a german shepherd was loose in their neighborhood. She said she was walking her baby (human) in the stroller and the german shepherd had come up and was walking right beside them and kept trying to "sniff" her little one. She showed the officers the shepherd as it was across the street. It was NOT a german shepherd, it was a large male coyote and it was not just sniffing her baby it was checking out it's next meal! There are many stories of coyotes coming into neighborhoods and snatching small kids around the 2 to 4 age group. Please be very wary of what they can do. If it wants your furbabies bad enough it won't hesitate to try to go through you, these are not friendly animals. Living in Minnesota we see lots of them, not only in the country but also in large towns.:eek:

Thanks for the info.

I saw the coyote again while walking the dogs. It was a good thing I noticed the coyote before the dogs did. He was on the side of the mountain no more than 10ft away.

I slowly backed up..thank god I was not far from the house.

I wonder if the humane society can do anything to help??

Looks like Mr Coyote is stocking your home. Be careful.

Beautiful pics!

Yeah I know there are coyotes in our area too... sometimes I can hear the pack go nuts close by and figured they got something.

Couple weeks ago we were going to BFs sister's house and passed what we thought was their neighbor's dog on the road. She's always roaming free so we stopped and were going to pick her up and take her home, but when we called her, she turned around, looked at us weird and took off in the opposite direction. When we got to his sister's house, the dog was already there. So we are pretty sure, we tried to lure a coyote into our car! LOL Thankfully it took off! haha

Wow, Ryan. Be careful. They are all around us too. We hear them at night. It scares me!

Wow coyote that is kinda scary we have a fox who lives in the woods behind the dead end road behind my house he is actually very nice (i never let the dogs or the kids around him) he is actually pretty old i guess the neighbor said he has lived hear a long time the city actually encourages us to leave cat food in the yard for him and salt licks for the deer

i live in a the middle of a very populated suburb

coyote and fox
 

You can usually tell a coyote from a dog by how long their legs are. They may be pretty to look at but they are only a step down from a wolf. I personally love wolves as they are my totem and my home is filled with wolf pictures and needlpoint. They are one of the most devoted to their mates and cubs and I love going to the wolf retreats to look at them behind glass, but as much as I love their beauty I would not want to come face to face with one.

Coyotes are stalkers, they will check out garbage, pets and people. There has been only 1 or 2 cases reported of a coyote killing a person. She was walking alone on a wooded trail and came across a pack. They are being driven into populated areas because their habitat is being taken over by building homes and they are searching for food. I was asked is the humane society would do anything. My husband didn't think they would as they don't usually deal with wild animals. You could check with animal control or call and ask your local police department about it. Sometimes they bait and trap them and turn them loose in another location. In extremes where they are a threat, they may be shot.

Be carful walking your furbabies. I would never say not to go for walks, just be aware of your surroundings and be prepared to grab you furbabies and back away slowly, don't turn your back on them unless you are close enough to home to get in. This subject gives me chills just to think of wild animals moving in to housing areas. We live in the fringe of town now but I still hear the howls toward dusk. It scares Belle when she hears it. When we lived in the country, I never walked my babies, or even me alone, with carrying a weapon but in town you have to have a license to do that. They do make a spray kind of like pepper spray that works on canine, you could call around to sporting shops to see what they have.
Even if some of you think this is just being scary, take what you want from it, but please just be aware.

coyote spray
 

Just a quick note with info. from my DH. Coyotes are like dogs, they don't have mucus membranes so pepper spray has very little affect on them The spray that deters canines is called Halt. Most postmen carry it to protect against dog attacks.

Heck! I haven't seen one in years that wasn't mangy and skinny. A neighbor about a half mile away came home from work about 3 a.m. and counted 23 of them going through close to his house! Another neighbor lost a lil yorkie boy some years ago to one. I was on a riding mower a few years ago and it had gotten dark - I was almost done - and I saw a coyote standing in the yard. I drove the mower up close to him - my lights were on - and I thought he'd never leave. They aren't as scared of people as they used to be. There was a guy in L.A. ( I think it was) that posted on here that he was walking his little yorkie girl, Koda, on a leash in the suburbs of L.A. and a coyote ran up from behind and grabbed her and took off down the street. He posted in the memorial section. So terribly sad!

This is the link to the long ago post about Koda. It just touched me so very much that I've never forgotten about it. There were a couple of other threads he posted later, so I posted those links in case anyone is interested.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/mem...e-me-help.html

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/mem...ear-later.html

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/mem...a-tribute.html

Foxes get little dogs, too. There are some around here, too. I've been told about people who have lost little dogs here to foxes.

We've been having a coyote problem around here lately. All the empty houses and over grown lots where people left after hurricane Katrina have attracted all kinds of wildlife. Very scary. A family lost their 2 yr old yorkie to one last week about 2 miles from my house. And another family almost lost their chihuahua but chased after the coyote till it dropped the dog. That one survived. I refuse to walk Sakura when the sun goes down if I do have to I make whoever is at the house come outside with me. The lady who lost her yorkie got a doberman to protect her other 2 yokies. There have been two coyotes killed in the past 1 or 2 months and at least 2 more seen.

Dogs and coyotes do indeed have mucous membranes. Among other places, they are located in the mouth, eyelids, and nasal cavity. Right where you would aim the pepper spray. Nasal Secretion in Dog

Also Halt! and pepper spray are one in the same, the active ingredient in both is capsicum (pepper). Although Halt! might be a weaker concentration, I'm not sure though.

Your new neighbor is beautiful indeed, but I would do all I could to get him to move -- permanently. We have a coyote problem and where I live there is a bounty on them. I'm not one for senseless killing, but these critters are killing livestock and one ventured into my neighbor's yard in early spring, killed and partially ate her medium sized dog. Not only were we devestated about the loss, we are out for revenge.

OM-word girl!!.....Just looking at that pic scared me!......I know your going to but I have to say it anyway. ;)......Please be careful with your babies!!