My dog found a new friend.... a coyote?

If I hadnt seen it for myself I wouldn't have believed it. Herc was out for his nightly pee, and when I went to get him I saw another animal out there with him. It was a coyote!! Although we live right in a city, we have always known they are out there, we hear them often and I have seen one in my yard once before. I couldnt believe my eyes, but I swear it was playing with Herc! They were running and chasing each other... kinda frolicking lol...no growling...... without thinking I went tearing out there, in the snow, pregnant, in my slippers, calling Herc's name. Much to my shock he came, passed me and went to the back door to be let in.... and left me out there!!! Initially the coyote started following him, but luckily stopped. What a fright I got!! Another night my husband looked outside and there were 3 of them in our yard, one was lying down chewing on something. Our yard is not fenced and there is lots of bush and field all around. A couple other nights I went out with Herc on his leash and sure enough they started their howling and yipping which makes him go wild, so I immediately brought him inside. I've heard that coyotes have the ability to throw their voices, so you have no clue how close or far they really are!! I feel so lucky that that one night there seemed to be only the one (playing with him) but I am so terrified they'll come as a pack... and not be so friendly. I am all for leaving wild animals alone, I think too many lose their homes in the wild due to us humans.... but I am so scared, now I'm having nightmares!!! I woulda thought that Herc's scent would dissuade them from visiting our yard, but they don't seem to mind :confused: I don't know how to protect Herc from them...... other than going out with him everytime he goes out. :confused:

You could potentially get a very long lead line (40 - 60ft) and hang at the back door while he does his stuff outside. That way you've got a leash on him, you're watching, and can at the very least, reign him back in quickly without putting yourself in harm's way. Most times coyotes won't mess with a dog the size of a rotti, but as for moving in a pack, well, it would make me nervous too :/ Good luck and keep us posted

You definitely need to be cautious, very cautious. They will 'lure' a dog in by playing with it and then the pack will attack. These are pack animals and they are predators. That means they work together to hunt and kill prey.

My brother's dog also played with a coyote - and just inside the bush line the rest of them waited. Sam played outside and would not go into the bush but my brother said they certainly looked very interested every time he got close to it. He was able to leash him and get out of there.

Here is a link to a recent San Francisco Gate article on coyotes, Note the precautions with dogs.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/27/MNGKPFUQ851.DTL

Wolves will also try to "lure" dogs away to kill, but not as frequently as they are extremely shy about going near humans. But coyotes are brazen!

~LM~

I've heard that too, be very careful, they are also bad for carrying rabies and mange. If it was a single female I would wonder if she was in heat, but they normally are in packs. Once when walking my big dog in a school yard right here in Scarborough there was a lone coyote, and he wondered off when he seen us but it was a lone male which was probably kicked out of the pack. Keep a close eye on your dog. Also if you see one lying down with its eyes closed and you think that its dead, its not, no animal closes it eyes tight when dead, they can do this to lure you too.

Also if you see one lying down with its eyes closed and you think that its dead, its not, no animal closes it eyes tight when dead, they can do this to lure you too.

Lure you for what purpose? Where do these stories come from? Coyotes do NOT see humans as prey, nor do they see big dogs like Rotties (about 3 times their size and formidable predators as well) as dinner. To attack a dog that size, coyotes would have be beyond desperate, as predators prefer not to try and take prey who can do them serious injury, or kill them. Like all predators,they like their meals to be easy. Energy is a very valuable commodity for wild animals, especially in the winter, and predators don't like to waste it on futile and/or dangerous attacks.

They are intelligent, omnivorous and opportunistic and will take food where they find it. This is usually rabbits, rodents, sadly garbage, and just about anything they can catch and eat, including small dogs and cats. They're just trying to survive, like all wild animals.

They are intelligent, omnivorous and opportunistic and will take food where they find it.

That is why they are the most wide spread predators in the America's. And the western variety, near the Rocky Mountains can be up to 50 lbs. When I lived in Calgary, we lived at the edge of the city and our yard backed onto the prairies. It was not uncommon for a couple dogs to go missing a year. And even this past year 2 toddlers were attacked by coyote's.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/04/20/coyote-attacks050420.html

You should take what ever precautions you can around any wild animal.

I have to agree with Lucky, I have never heard of them luring and attacking big dogs. they have been known to kill cats and small dogs.
We have coyotes who often come up to our back fence, and we have many dogs in our neighbourhoos, and have never had one attacked by a coyote.
Quite often coyotes and wolves are blamed for things that free running dogs actually do.

I appreciate the replies. I am definitely cautious... Lucky Rescue you made me feel a bit better.... I dont REALLY think they would see 100 pound Herc as prey but I dont know much about coyotes (other than what the Bugs Bunny show taught me ;) ) and ANY pack makes me nervous (even if it was a "pack" of domestic dogs at a leash free dog park!) I also dont REALLY think they would approach if I am out there... thats why I go with him at night... but nonetheless, being out there in the dark; hearing what seems like 50 of them-high pitch howl/yip is sooooo eerie....and not knowing where they are is very scary. And if they did get brazen enough, what would I do???? I fear Herc would get hurt protecting me; while I am out there trying to protect him :(

That article was also helpful... we certainly have our share of rabbits, cats, and rodents around here.... and lots of hiding places to attract them. I also like the long leash idea... actually we used to have that, until Hercules-true to his name-pulled the side of the shed off..... Well for now I will just continue to go out with him at night... and if I hear them or see them, Herc will have to do his business in the front yard.... cause Mommy's too scared out back! :o

I know he is a big dog, but he is also domesticated. In a pack coyotes can take down a 200-300 pound deer and if hurt even a 800 pound moose. I am not saying they may look at him as prey, but could turn on him.

gd- thats why I tremble like a leaf everytime I go out there... :sad:

as we speak, the bugger has been scratching at the door to be let out... I've been out back with him twice in the last hour (on his leash) and once out front even...... is he trying to torture me? :evil:

is he trying to torture me?

lol, no he just wants to go play. I agree with putting him on a long lead. Maybe even a spotlight that points out past your property line. Easier to keep an eye on him.

I'm not sure of the reason for "luring" dogs, but my dad told me about it with wolves. He grew up in rural Minnesota, which I believe is the only state besides Alaska where wolves have always been plentiful.

And here's an article from 2004 from Alaska:

http://www.looksmartboating.com/p/articles/mi_qa3787/is_200408/ai_n9417205

The reason they attack dogs is not as prey, but because they have an antipathy towards them, as crows do towards owls.

Wolves in general are very shy--the ones mentioned in the article sound like bold young ones right out of adolescence to me--but coyotes aren't in the least, so I'd be especially careful with them. I actually know someone who found a coyote that was hit by a car, mistook it for a dog, and loaded it into her own car to take to the vet! And it just rode along with her in the back seat, looking puzzled. ;)

~LM~

I lived in Rural Ontario, and found wolves to be so shy, we would get excited when we spotted one, aven though we knew they were plentyful in the area.

The only wolves we found to have no fear, or to attack dogs and humans, were the ones that were raised by humans. Also sick or injured may attack as well, even though we had never seen it. Alot of livestock, people and dog attacks and kills in our area were blamed on the wolves and coyotes, but we found out all these attacks were made by domesticated dogs that the people let run loose or dumped on the side of the road, they actually formed their own pack and caused a great deal of damage! More damage then any wolf or coyote has ever done.
The local farmers and hunters eventually got together and shot most of the dogs, some others were reclaimed by their owners.

You should take what ever precautions you can around any wild animal.

That sums it up. Raccoon, hawk or coyote, they are wild animals and capable of doing damage if they feel the need to defend themselves.

In a pack coyotes can take down a 200-300 pound deer and if hurt even a 800 pound moose.

I've never heard of coyotes taking down moose, which are extremely dangerous prey even for a pack of 150lb wolves, but deer do not have powerful jaws filled with sharp teeth as a Rottweiler does. Dogs are domesticated but still retain their instincts, and self-preservation is the strongest.

Dogs have been used for centuries to guard flocks from coyotes and other predators and do a very good job at it. The last thing any predator wants to do is sustain an injury so usually steer clear of other animals that may hurt them.

I saw a coyote once here in Oakville early morning on my way to work,I had to slow done and look he was beautiful,looked like a wolf.
There has been Coyote attacks here,one was a little tchizu(sp?) who lost an eye and an ear,he was actually saved by a little yappy chihuahua,for some reason the Chi scared the Coyote:D
It always saddens me to see these beautiful animals having to resort to look for food in populated areas,but here in Oakville they are building everywhere hardly no fields or wild country left.

I've never heard of coyotes taking down moose, which are extremely dangerous prey even for a pack of 150lb wolves

I am not talking a healthy moose, or even a healthy deer. If a pack of coyote's came across a lame moose trapped in the ice, they would attack, or agitate it until weak enough to attack.

As for domesticated dogs, if a pack of coyote's each weighing 30-50 lbs found your dog to be a threat or competition they could easily do damage to a rottweiler.

Yeah, a lot of people can mistake breeds like huskies and malamutes for wolves if they're running loose . . . but in the Alaskan case, I'm confident they were in fact wolves because the State Biologist was the one identifying them.

Wolves from a pack whose range includes the Ketchikan highway system killed at least eight dogs and injured several others in December, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. State biologist Boyd Porter told the Ketchikan Daily News that the wolves were quite bold and were spotted close to homes during daytime.
"You definitely don't want to see that sort of familiarity with humans and their pets. They wouldn't even move if they were yelled at or screamed at," Porter said. . . . Porter warned people who live in rural areas or who hike with their dogs to be wary of the wolves.
"They seem to be very good at coming in close contact with people and luring dogs away from their owners," he said.



Of course, keeping your dog on a leash would be the best thing to do in Alaska . . . We used to see moose in our backyard all the time, they could easily kick a dog to death. And there were black bears in the woods, you wouldn't want your dog bothering them.

~LM~