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Yesterday afternoon I had the dogs outside with me, about 200 ft or so from the house. I threw the ball once before Levi took off screaming his scariest ruff ruff. Our property sits on a 50 acre open hay field and we were 15 ft from a small section that does not get cut. The coyote had been in the tall grass just feet from us when Levi flushed him. When I looked over, a huge coyote came running out and there went Levi and puppy Dixie barking like crazy. I ran through the tall grass to see Dixie running back to me. I grabbed her long line and ran. Saw the coyote standing 100 ft away just staring, so I called Levi as he had shut up now. As soon as I called him he took off screaming and barking at the thing. I was shocked he didn't listen but I have never seen this dog so pissed about something. A fly buzzes past him and he runs scared into his crate. But a coyote that appeared bigger than him, no issue apparently.

 

We ran about 1/2 mile through the whole field in 85 degree sun until the coyote was out of sight into the woods. Then of course, Levi came running when I called. For a dog that always recalls off animals, this was clearly different. He had a few stare-offs with the coyote, where we all just stood there staring at each other. I would have beat that thing with my foot and the chuk-it stick had it tried to harm my dogs. ;)

 

I was happy the coyote didn't want a fight and the puppy came running back right away. I have read so many stories of coyotes taking off with small dogs. I warned my neighbor who lets his Pomeranian run off leash. Luckily they have never messed with our chickens or goats. Just this spring we saw one next to the house. This time I spotted him first and got us back inside.

 

Anyone else have coyote stories? I never would have thought Levi would do that. Deer and fox get no reaction from him, he once barked at a deer in the yard but that was it.

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We have coyotes here in SW Virginia. I live on a farm too. Luckily, I don't often SEE them, but just this past week, I have heard them yipping like crazy very close to our house. I don't know how many were barking/yipping/yowling, but it sounded like more than 10 (probably less though). It is so creepy. Makes my blood run cold.

 

They are increasing in number in my area. As you can imagine, the farmers don't like seeing dead livestock. The county governments are trying different programs to reduce their numbers. My neighbors are hunters, and they have permission to hunt on our land. Occasionally, one of the younger males will set up at night to try and get a coyote, but I am not sure he has ever shot one when he tries like that. If they do manage to shoot a coyote, maybe once a year, it is because of lucky circumstance - they see one while they are driving around on the tractor or the ATV and happen to have a gun with them.

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We have them at my parents' house. They use the area on one side of our house to cross to the street because it's one of the few that's not fenced or gated. I never really worried about Aed though. They're not going to try to get something that big. My little dogs are a different story but we just don't take them out back at night. Lots of people in our neighbourhood have lost little dogs that way. One neighbour told a story about her little dog running off during a walk and finding him surrounded by coyotes. She ran in and grabbed him and yelled a lot and it worked out for her, and I imagine I would've done the same had it been my dog, but still, she got pretty lucky. It's the packs of them that scare me. Every time an individual coyote has seen me it's just run off.

Non dog-related story: My boyfriend in high school, who lived close by, had to go through the big ravine area behind my house to get back to his. He was leaving one night, casually walking down the trails, not at all worried, when suddenly a police siren starts going off in the distance. The instant that happens he hears what sounds like ten or fifteen coyotes start wailing from the bunch of trees right beside him, as well as in clusters at various distances around him. It being dark he couldn't see anything, just hear a lot of them. Needless the stay he was startled and booked it the rest of the way. He had known there were coyotes of course but it's different realizing they've been right beside you the whole time.

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I can understand its being frightening when your dog's involved, but coyotes rarely attack humans. The fact that the coyotes were so close to your former boyfriend without his even being aware of them speaks to that. They were probably just as close many other times he was in the same area.

 

And your neighbor saving her little dog was most likely in much less danger than the dog was. ;)

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http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/LivingwithWildlifeCoyote.aspx

 

um, you guys know *not* to run from a predator right? FYI- here's a link to a brochure from my state that has some good information. I live in a suburban neighborhood near big, open spaces. Personally, I enjoy hearing coyote howls and yips at night. Considering the high density of humans, dogs and cats around here, it's amazing there aren't more problems than there are. I'm glad they're out there keeping down the rodent populations :-) Around here they're hunting prairie dogs, voles, mice, rabbits etc. and eating lots of fruit. Their scat is full of rodent hair, russian olives, chokecherries, rosehips etc.

 

It's never made sense to me the folks who shoot any and all coyotes just because... If livestock predation is an actual (verses a theoretical) issue, people can consider Livestock Guard Dogs and/or llamas. If a coyote is using your property and minding it's own business, and your neighbor kills it, that just opens up the neighborhood for another one to move in. One who might have a real taste for lamb or lap dog, and one who might teach their pups to go after those kinds of prey items. Personally I'd prefer to have coyotes around who are good co-existers, and benign neighbors.

 

Not to say I don't have respect and use caution and common sense. They can and do occasionally bite small children and prey on small pets. They can bait an off-leash dog into a chase and then gang up on them. If one acts too bold near humans, it's a good idea to haze them (with noise, or, if really close deterrent spray). I have an old peppermint tin that's small to carry, but filled with coins, it makes a pretty big noise. I see coyotes frequently on walks, but I've never had to use it.

 

A few years ago I had an anxiety provoking recall failure with one of my dogs in an off-leash open space area. In tall grass, my dog saw a young coyote before I did, and took off like a rocket. Second dog started to go, but came right back. First dog half a mile away (on the heels of the probably shocked coyote) ignoring me. Only option: run the other way to draw my dog's attention. It worked. A few seconds (seemed like hours) later my bad boy was at my feet, breathless, looking apologetic, but conflicted.

 

Later that night we were all startled awake by a loud and mournful howl. In his dreams, Mr. Bad-Boy-Coyote-Chaser was running after his wild cousin, and then, missing his domestic family, howling "AHH-OOOOHHH -Don't leave me!"

 

With my current younger dog, I've been trying to instill caution and a "leave that" mentality. Knowing what we now know about BCs' abilities to learn vocabulary words, I've made a concerted effort to label various animals when we're in their presence.

 

The other day he was looking out the window and I decided to test him. "Otto," I said, "Do see a horse?" (Wags tail). "Otto, do you see a squirrel?" (Wags tail). "Otto, do you see a coyote?" (GRRRRRR!!!) "Yes," I said, "That's right, leave that alone!" :-)

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Gentle Lake: There have been a couple of reports here recently of coyotes going after little children. You just need to really use common sense when you know there are predators around. There have been several cases here on the board where people told of coyotes having one go out and act really flirty to draw a dog in and then the rest of the pact jumps it. One of the board members who fosters lost a dog and they were out looking for it. They found it when it came running back to them doing about 90 miles an hour with coyotes after it. (Anyway that's how I remember it but it was a while ago).

 

I don't know how much of this is urban legend or twice told stories. But people need to be cautious. I think it was Halle Berry lost her two little Maltese (I think) to coyotes. And Miley Cyrus' dog was killed by coyotes. Miley's dog was pretty good sized. It wasn't a little fluffy dog.

 

I don't think should go out and wipe out all the coyotes but if you have cats you need to keep them inside and if you have dogs you need to be aware.

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OK, so you got me thinking, Tommy. As I've said before I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong. ;)

 

I did a quick internet search, eliminating sources like Wikipedia, coyote hunting sites and sensational news reports. It didn't change my mind a whole lot, though I might add something to the effect that children are at greater risk than adults. And, yes, unfortunate encounters between coyotes and humans are on the rise, but that's true of many wild animals as they've become habituated to humans and/or been put under increasing pressure from human encroachment.

 

So, what I found was this:

 

"Coyote attacks on people are very rare. More people are killed by errant golf balls and flying champagne corks each year than are bitten by coyotes.

 

Often, coyote attacks are preventable by modifying human behavior and educating people about ways to prevent habituation. In many human attack incidents, it turns out that the offending coyote was being fed by people. In many other instances, people were bitten while trying to rescue their free-roaming pet from a coyote attack. Less often, people are bitten by cornered coyotes, or even more rarely, rabid coyotes. [i'd insert here that in the case of rabid coyotes it's not the coyote that's to be feared bur rabies.]

 

There have only been two recorded incidences in the United States and Canada of humans being killed by coyotes. One involved a child in Southern California in the 1980s and the other a 19-year old woman in Nova Scotia in 2009. These events, rare as they are, are serious and warrant serious response."

(http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/coyotes/tips/coyotes_people.html)

 

From another site, which seems reasonable but I have no idea who Tom Chester is:

 

"Here are some overall statistics:

  • Officials with the California Department of Fish and Game estimate that roughly one person gets bitten by a coyote per year in California. The last human to be killed by a coyote was a child in the Los Angeles area around 1980. (SDUT 1/3/95, B1; 5/16/00, B3)

    For comparison, over 300 people have been killed by domestic dogs in the U.S. between 1979 and the late 1990s. (Humane Society of the U.S., reported in Tracking and the Art of Seeing, Paul Rezendes, second edition, 1999, p. 194)

  • From 1993 to 1997 there were seven coyote attacks on humans in Arizona, with over half in 1997. (SDUT 12/17/97, A3)
  • "The best estimates assert that, in recorded history, there have been 20 to 30 coyote attacks on humans that resulted in injuries." (Tracking and the Art of Seeing, Paul Rezendes, second edition, 1999, p. 194)

    Paul's summary is much lower than the total number derived from the previous estimates; perhaps the definition of injuries is different for his estimate. At one person per year in California, one would estimate ~10 attacks per year in the U.S., giving 500 attacks in the last 50 years alone." (http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/coyote_attacks.html)

In 2005 National Geographic published a piece titled Are Coyotes Becoming More Aggressive? They observe that it's increasing more in areas where coyotes are "human-adjusted."(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0607_050607_coyotes_2.html)

 

NatGeo Wild did a show on the adult killed in Canada, "the first fatal coyote attack on an adult human ever recorded" in 2009, and commented in the ad for it that "it shocks not only the surrounding community but coyote experts as well."

 

The State of Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says, "As coyotes have become more common, public concerns about coyotes attacking pets and people, especially children, have increased. Although some coyotes may exhibit bold behavior near people, the risk of a coyote attacking a person is extremely low. This risk can increase if coyotes are intentionally fed and then learn to associate people with food." (http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=325992)

 

So, yeah, I'm sticking with what I said, and I'll feel safer if I encounter a coyote than around golf courses or on New Year's Eve. ;)

 

A couple of interesting facts about coyotes:

 

Eastern coyotes are larger than their indigenous western cousins because they've interbred with Canadian gray wolves.

 

There are more reports of coyote attacks in California than in other state, even those such as Arizona where environmental factors are similar.

 

I obviously had too much time on my hands this afternoon. :rolleyes:

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There were horses attacked by a cougar in my area a few years back. Those critters really scare me. Coyotes? Not so much. I'm guessing that they become more desensitized in urban settings. They're all over and I worry about livestock and chickens sometimes but we have had no issues so far. It bothers me when people talk about relocating urban coyotes to rural areas. I sure don't want those here! They could easily disrupt the local ones who have have plenty of open space here and have yet to bother us.

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I think the one I heard about was a man with a toddler and he grabbed the baby in time. It wasn't too long ago.

 

I've seen coyotes around here running along the road. Maybe two in my lifetime. And I have seen some hit by cars. We have a lot more red foxes and they are hard on chickens and cats. And I guess we have bobcats but I have never seen one dead or alive. You don'the want to mess with them. And we had a cougar hit by a car really close to my house. Those are mainly loner young males that wander in once in a while. I think they follow the river.

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We don't see a ton of coyotes unless you set up a wildlife cam, but they're around.


Molly's big wildlife 'HOW DARE YOU!!!' rage this year was a bear at our back fence. She's petrified of other dogs and sometimes people, but she was sure as heck not backing down from that bear. Fortunately, she called off when I asked, and then slammed the door.

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I definitely was not worried about me and once I saw the coyote stop and look at Levi and me, I knew he didn't want anything to do with us. If Levi hadn't noticed him in the tall grass the coyote would have stayed there the whole time we were out. I figure he had to of smelled him first as the coyote was not in sight at all but still only 15 ft from us. Levi clearly thought he did not belong near us as I have never seen him react to human or animal like that.

 

I'll have to figure out how to coyote proof Levi's recall. He was just so hell bent on getting that guy off the property and kept barking like never before. Definitely not a normal animal chase where I can call him off.

 

My neighbor would love to kill the thing and other neighbors have traps set (legal ones). Funny thing is neither have livestock. Coyotes have never bothered our animals. My neighbor up the road doesn't fence her hens and she loses them to fox and coyotes quite a bit. I personally love hearing them at night and just like last time, thought it was pretty cool to see them up close. I would guess this one at 50lbs. Stocky and taller than my boy. Looked like a big fluffy red heeler.

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I was hiking with my previous two Borders in Delaware some years ago. I had both of them off leash and we were in an area where I hadn't hiked before. Both dogs started to act weird. Uneasy. Unsettled. Looking back and me and making eye contact and then looking around. I called them back and put both on leash. We hiked a little further down the trail and this coyote came out of the woods and stood on the trail. As I stood shell shocked, it was joined by another one. We all stood and stared at each other for a few minutes and then they quietly walked away. I had never seen a coyote before and thought they were supposed to be small,mangy, ugly critters. These were beautiful. Thick, sable coats, very good sized animals. When I got home I called and talked to a park ranger and he knew about that pair. He said coyotes east of the Mississippi had inter-bred with wolves and that somewhat changed their appearance. It is one of my favorite hiking memories.

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Another coyote story: Again, referring to our neighbors who are lifelong locals that are farmers and hunt (arrow, muzzle loader, rifle and sometimes with dogs - for racoons and bears). One guy who is one of the most serious hunters was out sitting in the woods during deer season and heard and saw a pack of coyotes start to surround him. Even though he is well acquainted with wildlife (he is also the one that does bear hunting), he was creeped out and booked out of there as fast as possible.

 

My parents live in Vermont, and they refer to 'coydogs'. Many people believe that the coyotes and domestic dogs have interbred to create a larger version of the coyote. Not sure if anyone has proved this.

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My parents live in Vermont, and they refer to 'coydogs'. Many people believe that the coyotes and domestic dogs have interbred to create a larger version of the coyote. Not sure if anyone has proved this.

 

According the the CT DEEP page I cited above: "Coyotes are biologically able to reproduce with domestic dogs, although because of several barriers, they rarely do. For instance, both male and female coyotes are fertile for only a short time during the year. Also, young coydogs rarely survive because male domestic dogs that breed with female coyotes do not remain with her to assist with parental care. The offspring of a coyote/domestic dog mating are often infertile."

 

Another one, I don't remember which one and think it may have been more than one, says they've interbred with Canadian gray wolves, which is why they're larger than the original western coyotes.

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I can understand its being frightening when your dog's involved, but coyotes rarely attack humans. The fact that the coyotes were so close to your former boyfriend without his even being aware of them speaks to that. They were probably just as close many other times he was in the same area.

 

And your neighbor saving her little dog was most likely in much less danger than the dog was. ;)

 

 

You're right, and I know those things, but it's different when standing face to face with a bunch of wild, predatory animals that you weren't expecting to appear. :P And I still wouldn't challenge a pack of coyotes with their dinner in the middle unless I absolutely had to. If my tiny gooey sweet (to humans at least) dog can resource guard without thinking about it then a pack of coyotes sure as hell could.

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We have a lot of coyotes. We live on 12 acres, and back up to another 40. We also have plenty of bears and cougars.

 

Our coyotes absolutely bait other dogs. They send a single member to go flirt with the dogs to bring home a snack. We haven't lost any dogs, but our neighbors sure have. Mostly small dogs, but some medium ones.

 

We used to have big problems with them hanging out right outside our barn. They'd saunter up to the stalls and only jog away when barked at. We've never had any dogs that actively chase them, the old ones would charge it a little, the border collies run back to us for shelter. :) Then we got a mini donkey. You do NOT screw with donkeys, and he has successfully cleared our property of them. I much prefer that to the usual method of removal.

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Someone on another board was telling about a llama that took on a bear and won.

 

 

That is VERY unusual. In any story I have heard about llamas protecting against a sizable predator (cougar, bear), the llamas have always lost - and I have heard at least 20 or more. Most people recognize that most times llamas can not protect (i.e. kill or fend off) apex predators, and the llamas are there almost as a sacrifice if there was to be an encounter.

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Probably depends some on the bear in that scenario - as in what type of bear it was. Frankly I've had a few bear encounters, and most of them want nothing more than to get away. They're also black bear, and while big I wouldn't call them apex predators, exactly. Really can't see them wanting to go after much livestock, you know? Maybe chickens, but they're not going to be stalking down sheep or anything.

 

ETA: The internet tells me I'm sort of wrong and sort of right. They can and occasionally DO learn to kill livestock and once they've learned the behavior persists. But very few learn in the first place. They can, however, be a major problem for crops.

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The only time I've ever really encountered coyotes was when I was out camping in New Hampshire. Oddly enough, my Shiba Inu who doesn't bark at a soul and is afraid of everything was defending my brother and I from a small pack of coyotes. I've never seen that dog look so ferocious before. The coyotes even went back up the mountain after the event.

 

Now with Xena, I had an experience this morning where I believe she stumbled upon a possum in the yard. Not sure what it was since it was 4 am and I was half asleep, but she barked her head off at it and then ran behind me lol. I know that I'm more safe with my Shiba now haha. Both are females too.

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