It's a Coyotes' life here in the 'burbs??

edited July 2010 in Other Breeds
Oh how I wish I had my camera this morning! As we passed a local city park (famous among our young people for its Frisbee golf course) my husband and I both noticed a large coyote (looking very well-fed, I might add) as it came running over the hill. To our surprise, it stopped and waited for our car to pass by! I guess this one trained him/herself not to be at peril from the city traffic (can be quite a steady stream in the early morning, at least). After we passed, the coyote crossed the street behind us at a "trot" and headed between some industrial buildings and into a wooded area.

We had both Josephine and our son's dog, Frannie in the car. Frannie barked her head off, finishing off with that whimpering... "awww... I wanted to be your friend... come back.... please". Josephine was cool as a cucumber and aloof... Could it be she has become used to the Coyote who "owns" our neighborhood?

OK, to finish off this story (maybe irrelevant?): This evening while walking the two dogs our neighbor to the back of us (who is one who has deliberately tried to kick Josephine, by the way) passed us by when we were near another park. For once, he was quite friendly (I was walking Frannie, a border collie, german shepherd, yellow lab mix with floppy ears)... He says "oh, looks like you have a wolf...". After thinking to myself "... and what part looks like a wolf...", I explained who the dog is, relationship to me, etc. and then told him the Coyote story. He proceeded to tell me of the multiple deer he has seen on his walks, etc... Then Steve comes along with Josephine, and he says "Oh, there's the other one..." turns on his heel and continues home. I'm thinking, "Oh, Josephine looks like a wolf, too"??? Or maybe he meant coyote?

Anyway, maybe time to think about one of those CO's...

Comments

  • edited November -1
    Maybe Josephine's just smart enough to know she's locked in the car and can't get out so why bother barking. lol.

    You know Koda gets those dirty looks from people and they walk away from him like he's some wild animal. It kinda' ticks me off a little since you know he's my baby and all. :-)

    Have you always had coyotes around your area?
  • edited November -1
    That's an interesting story... I guess that Coyote is on his/her way to domestication. LOL

    There is a growing Coyote issue with dog owners it seems, I hear more and more stories as the weeks go on. It's very interesting to me.

    Luytiy does such a nice job of keeping them away, at this point I wonder if we need him - we never see Coyote anymore... I kinda miss them too. :oT

    Thanks for sharing! :o)

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  • edited November -1
    There were a few 'yotes that lived in my old neighborhood in Georgia. A few times they would trot down the street in broad daylight and Lucy would go NUTS through the window. I kept telling her she thought she wanted to eat it, but up close she'd change her mind. She didn't listen though.
  • edited November -1
    You know what is strange for us? Our NK don't really react to Coyote - they never have. I think that is why the Coyote got so close to our home before we got Luytiy, because the dogs didn't care that they were there. I was always surprised by this.

    It brings up the question for me --> do dogs know Coyote are canine?

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  • edited November -1
    Maybe I've always wondered how Bella and Saya react if we came upon a coyote.

    Well one walk during afternoon we did come upon a coyote in the field he/she was about 10 feet away from me of coarse the two dogs were busy sniffing around for bunnies to notice the big coyotes standing there. The coyote left and the dogs had no clue it was there. lol

    I'm glad the coyote is cautious with cars I'm afraid one would get hit crossing I've seen dead fox on the road sometimes.. =\
  • edited November -1
    Very interesting Brad. Koda, Maymay and I hike in two open spaces (off leash) Limeridge and Shell that have coyote dens within 100 feet of where we hike. The rangers are really good at letting me know where the coyote are and what they have been up to. I'm conscious of them being there, and take precautions about where I leash and unleash the dogs just in case.

    I've grown up with coyotes, sometimes waking up to them in the front yard as a kid or driving up the street at night with them in the middle of it. I have also known them to take cats from the neighborhood in the past. This has decreased lately, I believe due to the extra food sources they have around, i.e. lots of turkeys and pigs.

    Getting to the point, Koda and Maymay never react to seeing coyote. Even Maymay who I would expect to go chasing after it in straight hunting mode just looks at them and walks away. She shows no interest in going after them. I always assumed that my kais were just too smart to go after them, but maybe they do see them as canines. It would make some sense.
  • edited November -1
    Tara: This is the first sighting I had of a coyote in our neighborhood (2nd or 3rd ring suburb of Minneapolis, depending on how you count those things!). I consider us to be quite close-in to the city, but there are a lot of deer, fox and other similar wildlife roaming around including occasionally through a backyard (not just in the wooded parks and other other "green areas"). We have often heard a pack of coyotes around the sunset hour when we have taken Josephine to an off-leash park to the northwest of us in the "far-out" 'burbs. Although I say that is "far-out", this park is probably only 7-10 miles away as the crows fly. They seem to be in a remote area of the county park, just not within the doggie park area. Also, we have seen them at the farm on the game camera, and hear them sometimes late at night; as well as seeing lots of other sign of them.

    Brad: I wonder if you are onto something with the NK thinking the coyotes are "of like kind"? I have noticed that Josephine shows "no fear" when there is coyote sign at the farm, and in fact will "mark" on top of their feces, etc. Not so when there are signs and signals, or direct sightings of a wolf. Then she shows fear, will not leave the house or the porch or the yard, etc...

    My husband says that he thinks Josephine could hold her own with a single coyote, but that they are often in packs. Also, they have been known to "fool" dogs by playing with them, offering signs of friendship, etc. to lure them to the pack... Then they will tackle the doggie. So, I think it is best to be wary, especially if your dog is off-leash and can be enticed away...
  • edited November -1
    Yeah, the coyotes are adjusting to suburban life--even urban life, as I've heard of them in Golden Gate Park--quite well.

    My Shibas hate them, and always have barked at them, but I think that might have to do with territory--we see them mostly on the other side of the fence (sometimes, alas, inside the fence) and so the dogs see them as intruders. Bel particularly hates them after being attacked by them....just the sound of one yipping sets her off.

    On other animals in the suburbs--well, I guess I'm kind of semi-rural/semi-suburban here--apparently black bears have been a big problem in my area. A pretty big male was killed not to far from me while I was out of town getting the puppy. It does make me wonder--last week Toby was out and just went crazy barking with his "I'm scared but need to alert everyone" bark, and he just would not settle down. Coyotes were silent for once, but all the other neighborhood dogs were barking....I wonder if it was a bear?

    anyway, yeah, be careful about coyotes. They will go after dogs, even big dogs, if they are in packs.
  • edited November -1
    Lisa do you live here in the Bay Area? I'm in Walnut Creek, by the base of Mt. Diablo....on the base actually.

    Bev, I'm not too scared of the dogs being fooled by a coyote into play. I think they are a bit too smart and clicky for that. They are not into playing with too many other dogs.

    I do stay away from dens though. A mother guarding her den is no bueno! I would hate to get mixed up in a mess like that. They have come down closer to the trails though the past three years. The rangers will occasionally block off areas to ward people away and detour them away from any dens. They are so on top of it.
  • edited November -1
    Tara, I'm not (I love that area though!). I'm in NM. I just read some newstories about coyotes in Golden Gate park. (I was searching for news about coyotes and dogs after Bel was attacked...I just wondered how common it was).
  • edited November -1
    I used to ride horses all over Mount Diablo! My uncle lives in Walnut creek!
  • edited November -1
    Lisa coyotes are not common in Golden Gate Park.

    Jessica yeah you actually know where I live. That's pretty amazing. Mt. Diablo is where I take the dogs off leash hiking, that and limeridge and shellridge open spaces. They are right down the street from me. If you ever come to visit you must let me know.
  • edited November -1
    Actually, I meant I was looking up how often coyotes attacked domestic dogs, and came across a couple of stories about coyotes going after dogs in Golden Gate Park....I didn't phrase it well :)
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