Coyotes in NC

[Abby08]

I am wondering if anyone else has had problems with Coyotes in NC ? This past Saturday morning,(4:35 am) I let my little Abby out to potty and I went to visit the girls room myself. I heard her barking frantically and crazy and went back out to investigate. She was panicing,screaming,barking and did not come back in when I opened the door. I looked in the direction she was pointed in and saw the outline of a large coyote at the back of our yard. When I pointed my cane at it, it left in a hurry, but it was still dark and I'm not sure in what direction it went.

I got my dog in and took her to the vet when they opened as she wasn't bleeding, but had a long gash between her neck and shoulder and a puncture in her chest. You could see the muscles. Her little body was shaking like I have never seen her do before. Before she was always like a lion, now her little personality is changed and very subdued.

She has stitches and a drainage tube and a t shirt to cover it all,and meds. She will be okay. The vet said she was very lucky as a 1/2" more and her carotid artery would have been punctured.
We don't have a fence, she wears a harness and I put her on a on the back porch when I put her out before.

Not now, she is leashed and I am with her when she goes out. I asked my husband for a fence again and he said no. He pointed out that if we had a fence, the coyote would have jumped it, gotten Abby and jumped back out. He thinks that the harness and cable saved her from that fate.
In the mean time, I now only put her on a leash and go with her and at night, I have a flashlight and my cane for blocking and wacking.

Has anyone else had an experience with coyotes here in NC. I read that they have been established in all the NC counties.
Our town is small and there is not an animal control person listed on the town website.

[susan lynn]

I am so sorry to hear this happened to your baby, my prayers are with you that she makes a full recovery.I live in Georgia, we have 5 acres of land but have a subdivision behind us. I looked out my sunroom window about 5 am when I usually take the dogs out, there was a Coyote standing beside my garage like he lived here. I have become very hesitant to take them out now. they are always on a leash, never alone but sometimes I still don't feel safe. We also have Hawks flying around all the time so I never leave them on the back deck unless I am standing where I can see them and the storm door is always open for them to come inside. They are also potty pad trained, so this helps.

[Abby08]

Thank you for your prayers Susan,Abby and I truely appreciate them.

5 acres would be hard for me to keep up with! I guess a coyote could hide anywhere in there.

Yes, I guess it will be a hand held leash for us from now on too. I am also thinking of getting an old golf club to use instead of my cane.

I am usually a conservationist and love animals of all kinds. I hate that we are encroaching on their territory. However, right after her attack, with Abby safely inside, I was wondering where I could get a trap... and I wasn't thinking about the 'Have a Heart' kind either....

Thank you again,Susan and I hope you never have a close encounter of the coyote or hawk kind with you or your babies.

[susan lynn]

Thanks, we also have 20 acres of land beside us with a creek. I feel bad that these animals have to go into neighborhoods for a place to live now. Our property is completely fenced in with a brick column and wrought iron fence but they still manage to find a way to visit. Unfortunatel we had 3 deer killed by trying to jump over the fence and have fallen on the wrought iron spikes.But I am so glad we don't live on top of someone else house. Please let me know how Abby is doing.

[spr377]

Glad to hear that Abby will be ok! That is a frightening ordeal for her, and you!! I live in a rural part of Upstate NY, and we have coyotes. However, there is an abundant supply of wooded areas for them to live, thank goodness. We do hear them, though. I have a woods next to my house, but have yet to see one! Good luck to you and Abby.

[RustysMom]

Hi, where in NC are you located. I am in central NC.. I have seen no coyotes around my place, but have seen one in Rockingham County and I think someone was attacked by one in lower Randolph Co.

[Abby08]

Abby had her drainage tube taken out last Friday! Her stitches come out this Friday, I hope

Her tail is wagging again and she is almost back to her normal happy self. However, when she barks at 3:30 am to 4:30 am, (which she always did before) she now acts like she is going to kill someone! In addition, if she is asleep and she is startled awake, she acts like she is going to kill or turn and bite. Other than that she is her happy little self.

I or my spouse, accompany her on her outings now. My foot is a little better so that I can walk her for a tiny bit now. I wish I could walk her for much longer.

[Abby08]

Originally Posted by RustysMom

Hi, where in NC are you located. I am in central NC.. I have seen no coyotes around my place, but have seen one in Rockingham County and I think someone was attacked by one in lower Randolph Co.

Abby had her drainage tube taken out last Friday and her stitches out today !!! She is back to her happy playful self !!! But she startles easily when she is sleeping now and wakes up rather in a visious mood for a few seconds until she realizes who she is with and then she calms right down.


We are on the Alamance/Guilford county border. The land behind us used to be a farm with Angus and field corn.

I have not heard the 'yipping' or howling supposedly typical of coyotes. I guess it could have been a ferrel dog. I am looking into getting a wild life camera to see if it comes around at a certain time.
While I have read that coyotes are established in all the NC counties. It was dark,(4:30 am) I did see its outline and it was coyote like but it could have been a dog, but none of the dogs in the neighborhood resemble it though. It did take off when I pointed my cane towards it.

I hope to never see it again. But, if I do, there is a guy down the street from me that is a taxidermist!!

[Minniesmthr]

You don't have to be in the country on large tracts of land to have issues with predators. I am no where near your area and live in the Dallas suburbs. We have had problems with coyotes and Great-horned Owls here. A friend was walking her tiny little dog, and a coyote stalked them during the entire walk, all while right in the middle of a densely populated neighborhood. Great-horned Owls have taken cats in our area several times. Both can be very cunning and quiet.

In broad daylight, a small Yorkie was taken from an apartment patio here by a coyote.

Note here that we are not in the country or open fields, but are in housing developments where the houses are on small lots and only 10 feet apart. We have built on ranch land they have lived on for many years and the rabbits and small game they used to feed on are becoming hard to come by.

If I were going to walk a little Yorkie at night, I might carry a cane, but I wonder if maybe a pellet gun might offer more security. One neighbor let her little mini doberman out, it walked around to the side of her house and just disappeared never to be seen again-no noise or barking.

While I feel sorry for the coyotes, I sure would not want a pet of mine grabbed like this. Gradually, they seem to be moving out in to areas with open fields or woods. In the meantime, beware...

Cathie

[Verbena]

I am sorry to hear about Abby. I am glad she is doing better.

We have coyotes up in NY. They go after the deer. We have a ton of them. They usually hunt in packs. Here is a few ways to keep them or other types of wild life off your property. Just have to make sure a few of these ideas have to be away from all pets.

Motion lighting, strobe lighting or even blinking holiday lights.

Human scent Must be reapplied after rain and over time

Music

a motion detector sprinkler system

Ammonia-soaked rags or apply to an area with a squirt bottle. Must be re-applied over time/after rain.

Wildlife Repellent Recipes:
1 whole Spanish onion, 1 jalapeno pepper and 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper. Chop up onion and pepper and mix all ingredients together. Boil in 2 quarts of water for 20 minutes. Let cool. Strain water into a container.

8 oz. of any liquid dish soap, 8 oz. of castor oil and one gallon of water. Combine Castor oil and soap until well mixed, then add to one gallon of water

Combine bottle of distilled vinegar and Tabasco Sauce.

Spray entire area in which you want wildlife deterred or place out on rags.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Oh my goodness! Poor baby! I'm so glad this turned out ok in the end. We have all kinds of critters here. It seems like scavengers are taking over! We have hawks, coyotes, owls, and who knows what else. It is scary! Give Abby a hug!

[ancora_imparo]

We've seen coyotes in Augusta, GA, but not near the house thank goodness!

[Leahndmp]

We're near Tar Heel and have all kinds of predators. We have large coyotes and our Yorkie will not be going out at night since the woodline is so close. We are fully surrounded by woods and the underbrush is so dense predators hide with ease.