[News] Coyotes Are Suburban Yorkie Threats
 

The coyote struck just after Judy Burtner released her 3½-pound Yorkshire terrier into the back yard. In a few quick bounds, it grabbed the small dog and bolted away.

"I can still hear the sound in my ears of him yipping, like he was saying, `Mom! Mom! Help me, help me!' " said Burtner, describing the attack last month. "I didn't see it coming. It just snuck up, snatched him and ran."

Burtner and 15 other Arlington Heights residents attended a meeting Wednesday in Village Hall to address increased sightings of urban coyotes and the attack on Burtner's dog, Bentley.

Chris Anchor, wildlife biologist for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, said the area has a large coyote population and tried to assure residents that peaceful cohabitation is possible.

Once, it was rare to see coyotes in urban areas, he said. However, coyote families now roam tree-lined suburbia as well as the alleys of downtown Chicago, he said.

With homes, schools and businesses developing on what were once open fields, farmland and woodlots, human interaction with coyotes will continue to be more prevalent, officials said.

Anchor tags coyotes to study their travel patterns and behavior. Using a satellite tracking device, he has followed the roaming pattern of one animal that lives near the IKEA store at the Northwest Tollway and Illinois Highway 53 in Schaumburg.

Coyotes have adapted well to a suburban lifestyle, he said. They can become a problem because some residents feed them, he said.

"Please, do not feed the coyotes," Anchor warned.

The people at the meeting organized by the village's Police Department sometimes seemed frustrated.

"I see them in my yard at least once a week," said Connie Luckey. "I have to stay in my own back yard so my dogs don't get eaten?"

Luckey, who lives on East Oakton Street, owns Copper, an 8-year-old golden retriever, and Riley, a 4-year-old Bernese mountain dog. "They are like my babies," she said.

Ronald O'Neal, a conservation police officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said state law protects coyotes.

It is illegal to trap or hunt coyotes without a license. When proved necessary by the state, a licensed trapper can be hired, he said.

"There are rules, and taking care of it yourself can cause problems," O'Neal said. "There are penalties."

The punishment for harming or killing a coyote could be nearly a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, he said. However, it's legal to use pepper spray if an animal gets too close.

Residents need to change their habits and not create a welcoming environment, officials said. Food, including pet food, shouldn't be left outside a home. Garbage bags should be secured and the number of bird and squirrel feeders limited.

In Arlington Heights, coyote sightings should be reported to the animal warden at the Police Department, 847-368-5300.Tribune photo by George Thompson

Outside with her dog, Missy, Judy Burtner describes how a coyote carried off her other dog, Bentley (below), last month.`I can still hear the sound in my ears of him yipping, like he was saying, `Mom! Mom! Help me, help me!'

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...l=chi-news-hed

We have a small problem with Coyotes here on Lookout Mtn. I just make sure whenever Bouncer goes out to go potty it is ON A LEASH that is SECURELY attached to my arm. If anything tries to grab my baby, they're taking me down too that's for d*mn sure.

That's so horrible, I would just die if this happened to my baby...

Ugh.... this brings back horrible memories for me
 

:mad:

I had an almost two-year old poodle name Bailey. He was my absolulte pride and joy. It happened on the Fouth of July in 2004 in Orange County, California. My Bailey started to bark hysterically and we couldn't figure out why. Bailey kept barking and barking and then he ran outside..........the coyote jumped over the fence into our back yard and snatched Bailey up. He cried all the way down the street. Our neighbors came out and we all began to run after the coyote, but it was too late. The coyote had eaten a big chunk of his teeny stomach and bailey had passed away.

Since this tragedy occured, we have put up iron railing too tall for an animal to jump over. But I will NEVER get over his death. Since then my fiance and I have gotten jackson , our yorkie, and he helps to mend my heart everyday.

Please don't take this the wrong way anyone
 

but I don't understand WHY people think it's okay to let their dogs outside unattended. Especially little ones. I'm not talking about when they accidentally get outside (as in the case of the poodle)- but when they are left outside intentionally . I have ,in addition to my Yorkie, a strapping 85 pound Lab who I do not leave outside EXCEPT in a fenced in dog run to do his business. We have coyotes and hawks here, but even if we didn't I wouldn't let my dogs alone outside. Especially my Yorkie!

We have coyotes where I live too. You can hear them at night but I’ve only encountered one once on my run. My biggest concern when I let my little girl out is other people. I’m afraid someone will steal her, so I keep a very close eye on her when she’s out.

A friend of mine lost a Chihuahua to a hawk. So when she was real small I was concerned about that too.

Losing a Yorkie
 

We

Our first little Yorkie slipped out of our house when we weren't watching, and promptly went out on the road and got hit by a car. We were heart broken. We now have Maggie-Jo and she is a sweetie. But she never gets outside without her leash and one of us with her. We worry about coyotes too. Also heard of a hawk grabbing a Yorkie out of her yard and carrying her off.

I had a hawk come from behind me at almost 100 miles an hour (even the noise was frightening), and its wing brushed through my hair - as it tried to grab a baby quail only a foot or two in front of me.

I certainly worry about my dog. We have hawks around my house. And, an occasional coyote also.

It would be heartbreaking................................

Carol Jean

Oh my goodness that is so frightening! :(

Sad to say but many people who move to Arizona have lost their pups because of the many predatory animals we live with in the desert. What is scary to me is that many of these coyotes have gotten very used to people and they walk our neighborhoods like a normal dog would. I was out walking 2 of my little ones and I was being stalked by a very aggressive coyote even though I had picked up the kids. Luckily a man came along with 2 big shepards and he let me walk with him back home. Needless to say I don't walk my little ones anymore (I have a big backyard that is walled) so now I only have to worry about the hawks, the owls, the snakes and maybe an occasional bobcat or mountain lion. :eek: My little guys never go outside without me.

My neighbor recently lost their 15 yr old golden retriever. They were looking everywhere and then they went to our yard and asked us if we have seen their dog. Then a while later, we saw a coyote run across our yard with a big white foot in its mouth. Then we told the neighbors and we looked at our front yard, there was white dog fur everywhere and peices of skin scattered around! IT was SO SAD! The man said he had the dog for 15 years and he doesn't know how he's going to tell his wife when she comes home. I never let my Yorkie out now, unless shes with me or has a leash. Scary!!

omg that is so horrible... im so glad we've never had incidents like that around here...

a few months ago an alligator got a small poodle at the lake here, and a mountain lion got a cocker spaniel a few hours away, but i'm hoping that is something that will never happen here :confused:

these are horrifying stories. omg, i cant even imagine it... please watch your pups to the fullest.. please be careful guys and gals....

Coyotes used to be scared of people, but now people live in their territory. We have a big yard and we were finishing our riding mowing. It had gotten dark and we were mowing with the lights on when a coyote just ran across the yard and stopped and looked at us. Wasn't even scared of us.

Coyotes
 

We have them sited around where I live also. My dogs have a doggie door that goes out into a totally enclosed kennel chain link fencing. My husband partially roofed a section of it so we can hang tarps in the winter. The rest of the kennel he covered with Chicken wire and wired it to the Chain link fencing. My dogs do not go outside the kennel without being with us and on a leash. I agree, if something tried to grab one of my babies, they would have to take me down also! I don't think I could live if one of my babies got hurt by another animal, especially if I could hear them crying. How horrible. I think they give to many details in the article like (It sounded like it was crying mom help me). It made me cry when I read it. Now I am totally depressed!

coyote
 

remember no one is safe! ALSO THERE ARE COYOTE MIXES TOO! mAKE SURE YOU LOOK UP PICS IF YOU DO NOT KNOW. All small creatures are at risk,especially kitties! 15 barn cats were lost in 1 night to a female coyote close to here. Husband had a stand off with one tuesday. I feel for them also but we must watch our babies(foxes,hawks,owls ect too) THANKS Carefull Mom

My Hubby saw a Coyote in the yard today. I havent let my dogs out all week. Im so scared too.

Wow I Can't Believe The Government Does Not "take Care Of" Most Of Those Coyote. They Should Kill Some Of Them. Here In Louisiana, We Have A Lot Of Aligators. Since People Eat Aligator, The Government Passed A Law And Gave Many People Licences And Tickets To Kill Off Most Of The Breeding. The Ticket Is To Be Placed On The Tail Of The Aligator After It Is Killed And Brought To Some Place To Have It "taken Care Of". There Are Only A Certain Amount Of Tickets Issued(so The Aligators Will Still Exist)

It Would Break My Heart If Something Was To Take My Baby....i Feel Horrible For Those People Who Lost Their Pets To An Accident Like This.

Wow thanks! I live out in the country and see coyotes on a regular basis. I will definitely pay more attention. Sorry for your loss. :cry: :cry:

Here's another: :(

Coyote eats woman’s Yorkshire terrier

By Sarah Viren
The Daily News

Published November 9, 2005

FRIENDSWOOD — Linda Samson knew something was wrong when Sally didn’t come back after 15 minutes.

Her seven-pound Yorkshire terrier always stayed close to the house. She was just that kind of dog.

“Usually when we clap our hands she comes running and she has tags on and you can hear her when she is running,” Samson recalled. “This time we couldn’t hear the tags, and my husband said, ‘Linda, the coyotes have got her.’”

Along Cowards Creek in Friendswood, where the couple lives, coyotes are a problem.

They were blamed for killing at least one dog last year, a Yorkshire terrier just down the street from the Samsons. The year before that, a cat was taken by coyotes, according to police department reports.

“It’s been going on for years,” Linda Samson said. “This year, I think mine is the first.”

The animal control department in Friendswood traps and euthanizes coyotes, said Officer Lisa Price, a police spokeswoman.

But that hasn’t solved problem. In fact, things may get worse before they get better.

“It’s a twofold problem,” said game warden Fred Ruiz of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s office in Galveston County. “One, you have areas where new housing developments have exploded where 10 or five years ago there was nothing there. So humans have somewhat infringed upon their habitats, and at the same time (the coyote) populations have exploded.”

Most cities in the county have trapping programs for coyotes, Ruiz said, but his department has nothing similar statewide.

People like the Samsons, however, want a solution now.

After Sally went missing Friday night, the couple and their 21-year-old son stayed out until 11:30 p.m. looking for her.

The next day, when the sun came up, they found the dog’s body about 10 feet into the woods by the creek.

“I started screaming,” Linda Samson said. “I was hysterical. The way she died — they just ripped her apart.”

Even the dog tag was gone. And now Samson said she keeps thinking: What if it was a child?

That is possible, but not likely, Ruiz said. Coyotes are leery of humans and will usually stay clear of children if an adult is around.

But that doesn’t mean residents shouldn’t take precautions. Never corner a coyote, he said, and don’t approach a mother when she is with her young.

Price said her department recently mailed a release called “Living with Coyotes in Friendswood” with tips about how to avoid the wild animals.

Some suggestions: secure garbage cans, fence back yards, install motion detection lights, keep pets inside at night and clean extra brush and weeds from near your house.

Around this time of year, she said, that’s particularly important. As the weather gets colder, the wild animals run out of food sources in their natural habitats. So they creep into people’s yards — looking for their next meal.

http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?...7ad3b2ada1f97d

On one of other list, a member lost one of her Jack Russell Terrier a coyote. It is really sad. :(

ummm, I just read the article above...I do feel sad for her in a way, but if she knew that these kinds of things have been going on, WHY would she leave her yorkie outside by itself? Seriously I dont want to be mean, but she seems really brainless...

All of these stories have me crying right now. I could not even begin to imagine finding what was left of one of my furbabies when these coyotes are through with them. So, so tragic!

I agree!
 

It's not enough to just love them, you have to protect them. I mean- C'mon!

Why mwould you say somethinglike that?
 

I'm so sorry for your loss, first of all. I couldn't imagine having to go through something like this. But I do have to say that it was extremely rude of the person who responded with the paragraph titled " please don't take this the wrong way." It was completely out of line, and not something that she needs to here right now. We are suppose to support eachother, and be there through the touch times. I have to say that there are times when most of us(maybe not all) have to get our dogs out to tinkle on there own for a sec, until we can get out to join them.. I know that when I get out of bed in the morning, the first thing I do is let Gizmo out. Then I go get the robe and join him on the porch til he is done.. I guess all I can say is please be more considerate of others and there feelings. Once again I am SO SO SORRY for your loss, and I will keep you in my prayers...

You'd only see a bear in NC and a New Yorker on your lawn in Florida.

Gir & Bing
 

That was pretty obnoxious.

Coyotes
 

I think just about everyone has coyotes now days. I know we do seeing them walk down the road in the middle of the day. We but up a 6 ft fance for the yorkie's and at night we have light and a spot light to keep an eye on them. Hawks is another one to keep your eye on. If you think it can't happen to your baby you better think again.

coyotes/hawks/owl attacks!
 

The breeder that sold me my Chloe told me a few horror stories (told to me at the sale before the love set in) I took her so seriously and now I am more glad I did after reading these letters. I would have never thought it possible and couldn't imagine having to deal with the loss. When I first got Chloe and had her on a 10 foot cat lead inside her pet playpen in my yard while always sitting right next to her, ALL my friends & my daughter laughed at me, if I went inside even to make a cup of tea, in she went with me. After being a mom of grown kids and getting my new YorkieBaby, I was teased continuously about how serious I was taking the warnings, afterall I was told we live in the city! 2 months after the teasing started, the human society was 5 miles away from where I live trying to trap a HAWK! My girlfriend Diane, who laughed the hardest at me, called to apologize and was still in shock & felt she had to admit that she saw the hawk and now is a believer. She recently also heard about a Chiwahua being grabbed by a hawk in Central Park in New York City surrounded by hundreds of people walking through the park!! It seems these animals don't care who is nearby, The news report in the New York Times stated that any dog under 18 lbs would be in danger from these wild animals because their prey weigh in that area. It makes sence if you think about it, their prey usually would be rabbits or squirrels, which are both bigger then my Chloe! The human society representative said this is NOT new news, it's just more talked about now!!! :eek:

These stories freak me out too ...I would just die if something like that ever happened to my girls...those poor poor yorkies.