A Coyote Took My Bruiser

[bunnydodger]

Last week a coyote jumped our split rail fence at 11pm and took our Bruiser while our 22 yr old son was standing on the deck. Bruiser was a hefty Chihuahua boy of almost 20 pounds and a coyote snatched him like a rag doll and carried him off into the night. We don’t live in a wilderness area, but a subdivision of track housing. Our backyard faces a small open space that separates the buildings behind us. We searched all night for him and found no trace of him, not even his collar.

Our hearts are broken and we are devastated. I feel completely helpless that I could not do anything to rescue my little guy. I am tortured by the horrible pain scenarios running through my head of Bruiser crying for help. My only hope is that it was quick and he didn’t suffer, but I know in reality, this might not be true. I keep looking out the window at the back yard hoping that he would come back and this is all just a nightmare.

I called him my little angel boy because whenever I was really upset and crying he would stay right by my side and look me deep in the eye as if he was saying “it’s going to be okay, mommy”. Of all the dogs I ever owned, Bruiser had the deepest sense of love and concern for human emotion. I couldn’t even help him when he needed me most. He would have had his 8th birthday in August.

Oh, so heartbroken….

[Iris616]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your little guy. There's nothing eloquent I have to say, but I'm sorry for your pain.

[Smilie]

I am so sorry your Bruiser is gone. Don't torture yourself with scenarios. He was lucky to have you, and you him. Sending good vibes to you.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Maybe he got out of the fence, or someone stole him?

If it's any consolation, I saw a coyote catch a 20 lb woodchuck in my backyard once, and the coyote killed it very neatly in about 3 seconds.

[OakLeaf]

(((((bunny)))))

[Eden]

I'm so sorry Bunny. That's a hard way to lose a pet.

Coyotes aren't just country/suburb dwellers these days.... I live in the middle of the city of Seattle and there's been sightings just a few blocks from my house. Very scary that one was so bold.

[NoNo]

That's heartbreaking:( Be glad you didn't find a body. When I was six, I found our pet rabbit's body after he'd been attacked in his cage! Let's just say that's stuck with me. Focus on the happy memories. xx

[bunnydodger]

Thank you all for your kind comments. You are all so special.

Blecker: I wish with all my heart that someone stole him or he got out of the fence, but unfortunately neither were the case.

I will try very hard to be brave and move on from this, but it's just so difficult to let go now.

[sbctwin]

{{{{bunnydodger}}}} I am so sorry this has happened. I had the scenerios running through my head as I read your story....

[Smilie]

Your grief is still new, you will be able to move on when the pain lessons. Which sad to say only time can heal.

Is there anything you can do to prevent coyotes coming into your yard? Maybe finding a way to do this may help you with your sadness.

[GLC1968]

Oh, how awful!

I'm so sorry for your loss!! :( I would cling to the thought that it was likely quick and painless and Bruiser never knew what happened.

We haven't seen coyotes here yet, but I'm sure they are around. I fear for our chickens when we finally get to let them into the yard. I know it's the natural order of things, but it still sucks. :mad:

[bunnydodger]

Smilie - We have submitted a request to our HOA to build a 5ft. picket fence at least 5 feet in from our split rail with coyote rollers on the top. This might at least deter the coyotes from having full visibility into our yard. I'm not getting my hopes up because these HOA's are so strict. If they deny our request, we will have to think of some other way to protect our pets. I have two other little Chi's and will not even let them out of the house. They are using piddle pads.

I have also been doing some research on coyote attacks in the Parker, CO area and was shocked to find there have been several other coyote incidents that occurred particularly in our listed subdivision. We have lived in this home for 10 years and never had a problem with the coyotes. They are so big they look like wolves! When we were searching for Bruiser we found a young deer buck torn to shreds and cleaned of all flesh in the gulley behind our house. So, I'm afraid they may be hunting in packs.

[Smilie]

That is awful to hear. Can you contact your game and fish department? If they are attacking pets, then they may try and take a child next.

[bunnydodger]

I contacted the CO Division of Wildlife, Animal Control, and the Town of Parker to make a report, but no one has gotten back to me yet.

I am greatly concerned that small children may be next.

[Smilie]

You would think someone would have already done something about the problem if there have been attacks. Very scary to hear. If you don't hear back from those departments that you have already contacted, maybe you should get in touch with an 'elected' official. Maybe they can do something to get the ball rolling. You never know.

[bmccasland]

That is awful to hear. Can you contact your game and fish department? If they are attacking pets, then they may try and take a child next.

I highly doubt a coyote has ever taken a child. They are opportunistic and very adaptive scavangers. The only native mammal to North America that has expanded their range with the on coming of White Man. Also they aren't known as Wile E Coyote for nothing.

Bunny, I'm sorry for your loss. There is a problem with the urban / wildlife interface, that humans need to accept. Coyotes have learned long ago that small dogs and kitties are tasty morsels. Coyotes are right up there with squirrels - if you trap them, another one will be right behind it to move into the territory. With coyotes in your area, you need to have a solid fence high enough that Wile E can't jump over. A split rail fence means your dogs can get out, and predators can get in. Have a friend in the hospital right now recovering from a dog escaping his yard through a rail fence and knocking my friend off his bike. But I digress.

If a "problem" animal is trapped, it will most likely be destroyed, as there's no place to move it. The joys of human population expansion and suburban sprawl. Unless the coyote is acting odd, or has attacked a human unprovoked, I highly doubt the local Animal Control or Game & Fish Department will do anything about it.

Coyotes are diurnal - they're most active in the evening and early morning hours. So your little dog was out at the same time Wile E was cruising for dinner. Wile E probably knew you had a dog, and was just checking to see if it was out, when unfortunatly the encounter occurred.

I'm sorry if this sounds a bit crass, but back when I was studying Wildlife Management in college, the joke was that we were actually studying Wild-People management, as the wildlife was doing fine without us humans. The trouble occurs when you add people to the mix. Despite how we like to deny it, we are all part of the predator-prey mix.

Ddin't mean to be this long winded either. :o

[DebR]

I am so sorry for our loss. I have also lost a pet to coyote attack. It's a sad thing, but please know that Bruiser surely loved you as much as you did him. Be strong, it does get better.

Deb

[divingbiker]

Wow. I'm so sorry for your loss.

[sundial]

What a terrible way to lose your Bruiser! http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/sad/sad0120.gif (http://www.mysmiley.net) http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/sad/sad0116.gif (http://www.mysmiley.net) I'm so sorry you lost your little dear boy. I can't imagine the pain you must feel. Sending you lots of hugs.
Cathy, Kali, Niki, and Jodi Bell

[Smilie]

Coyotes have attacked children. Stories last year from California, and even Colorado teens on the ski slopes. It is rare, but it does happen. It is sad we have encroached on their territory.

Bunnydodger, have you seen this (http://www.zwire.com/site/tab8.cfm?newsid=19255443&BRD=2713&PAG=461&dept_id=559193&rfi=6) article about Parker? That is interesting that they had a 'rogue' pack. Odd phrasing.

[rij73]

Oh, I'm so sorry. This must be very traumatic for you! I can't imagine losing my dog in such a sudden and violent way. Cyberhugs to you... There's nothing more I can say. Very tragic... :(

[emily_in_nc]

All I can say is I'm so very sorry. I would be devastated if I lost my Paisley that way (or any way, of course, but a coyote attack is particularly gruesome).

:( :mad: :( :mad: :(

Tears in my eyes for you....

Emily

[Lifesgreat]

((((bunnydodger))))

[SlowButSteady]

I'm so sorry for your loss. From personal experience, I know how horrifying that is.

My little blue manx Nina met the same fate. If I had let her in when she was pawing at the door instead of using the bathroom first, she'd still be here. I saw the coyote run away. Nina got away from it but ran under our barn to die. We were lucky to have found her body there. She was the neatest cat.

Coyote-pet interactions are probably worse in the suburbs and cities than in the country. They are escalating, as humans displace more and more rural land. Why wouldn't they like cities? Cities are like a smorgasbord for coyotes (and 'possums and raccoons) with garbage, outdoor pet food and pets upon which to dine. There have been a few reported cases of 'yotes jumping small children (with no human fatalities reported...yet). Locally, we have some hanging out by a day care and they are so habituated to people and traffic that they have lunged at some area horsemen.

Firearm ordinances generally keep city folk from even firing warning shots, whereas the coyotes country cousins are, shall we say, pressured a lot more by humans and have a healthier respect for us.

Where legal, a little pressure, is a good thing. It keeps them from becoming too nonchalant around our homes. I am a DVM with some advanced training in wildlife managment & disease. I like them--like seeing them and hearing them and respect them as an extremely successful species, but I don't want them to feel welcome in our yard and draw the line at them coming on the porch and making off with our (sealed) barrel of cat food, which they have done off and on for a couple of years. When I see them in my yard, they are to be pressured.

My 23lbs dog Robert Earl isn't allowed to even walk to the car off leash, and he's closely supervised in our back yard, which is chain-link fenced.

[roadie gal]

I am so sorry. What a terrible way to lose a pet.

I live in coyote territory, too. I've seen them crossing my driveway in broad daylight. That's why my cats are indoor kitties. I couldn't bear to lose one that way.

Big hugs to you.

[elk]

everyone's got coyotes now...coast to coast...

nevertheless...I am SOOOO sorry for your loss...I cannot imagine what must be going through your mind.

If it's any consolation, remember that we think differently than they do...try not to project.:(

[Biker Jo]

What a terrible way to lose a pet! My heart goes out to you.

[greenme]

So sorry to read about your pooch. We have coyotes in our neighbourhood and they scare the bejeezus out of me. (I have a mini-dachshund). From a distance, they look like dogs and then when you get a bit closer you see that isn't the case.

We've had other unwanted wildlife in our backyard and as they are protected, we were told they can't be killed but the suggestion we were given seems to have worked. We were told to put some open cups of bleach around the perimeter of the yard. I found that chlorine tablets (the kind you use in swimming pools) in an old cottage cheese container work great.

One at the gate between front and back yards, one on back fence near garbage bins and one at opposite end of back fence.

They're good because they won't spill like laundry bleach and last a long time. Evidently, it's the smell they don't like. My dog doesn't even notice them. Granted he's too short to reach or even see them. :)

Of course, keeping your garbage neat and tidy is very important.
Good luck!

[wackyjacky1]

What a terrible way to lose a pet! My heart goes out to you.
Ditto. :(

[Brandi]

I am so late with this but a big hug to you and your family! i lost a cat to a dog attack and found his body so I can really relate on all levels. My heart is with you. Hope the pain has subsided for you a bit.

[Brandi]

Thank you all for your kind comments. You are all so special.

Blecker: I wish with all my heart that someone stole him or he got out of the fence, but unfortunately neither were the case.

I will try very hard to be brave and move on from this, but it's just so difficult to let go now.
It took me almost a year to get over my Niko's death. I still shed a tear for him time to time. But I found him after so the image has never gone from my mind. At least you didn't find him like you found the deer. Be thankful for that.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

i lost a cat to a dog attack and found his body so I can really relate on all levels.....It took me almost a year to get over my Niko's death. I still shed a tear for him time to time. But I found him after so the image has never gone from my mind. At least you didn't find him like you found the deer. Be thankful for that.

I'm just going to say something that I think might be comforting to Bunnydodger-
When dogs attack other animals (and sometimes not for food, but just to be aggressive), they tend to bite and tear at them.
I witnessed a coyote kill a hefty 20 pound woodchuck in my yard years ago. It was quite different from any dog attack I've ever seen, and was very efficient. The coyote circled the woodchuck over and over to find just the right moment, then it lunged in quickly and pinned the woodchuck down to the ground by the neck, in its jaws. It quickly maneuvered a good hold of the woodchuck's neck, then gave the woodchuck just one violent shake by the neck, and I could see that it must have instantly broken its neck. The woodchuck was stone dead. All this took about 5 seconds. Then the coyote picked the dead woodchuck up in its mouth and trotted off with it.
I only describe this in detail so that BunnyD might understand that her little dog likely didn't suffer the same way as a cat torn up by a dog. He probably was killed very quickly and didn't even have time to know what was happening.

[Zen]

Every time I read the title of this thread I feel sad.

[nancielle]

So sorry for your loss. How's your son doing with this?

[Trek420]

{{{{{Bruiser}}}}} I can't say anything more eloquently than others have. It's awful to loose a beloved pet in any way, sadder so close to home and nearby. I'm sure Bruiser did not suffer, and knew you provided a wonderful life. The thought occurs that Bruiser may have been aware and protecting you from the coyote. Being a tiny relative of a wolf ;) :rolleyes: he has senses greater than ours.

That first wolf who came close to the fire for warmth and food struck a deal with us: we provide warmth, food, companionship in return for the dogs greater senses of smell, hearing. Bruiser may have been protecting you at that moment. And if he could talk I'm sure he'd say "glad to do it".

I'm not observant or particularly religious in any way but when it comes to animals just roll out the Rainbow Bridge poem and I'm there. I'm sure you get to thank Bruiser in some later time.

I guess it's a risk. We're cyclists, we love the outdoors and what it brings. This brings us close to nature both for the beauty and the dangers she provides.

Do you have any pictures of the little guy? We'd love to see them.

[emily_in_nc]

Every time I read the title of this thread I feel sad.

Me too. It just breaks my heart, and I just can't bear to think about it. Whether Bruiser's death was quick or not, I doubt that lessens the pain that bunnydodger feels right now very much.

My father died in an auto accident, and although it was meant to comfort, having people tell me that he never knew what hit him didn't help much at all. Sure, I'd rather know that he didn't suffer in a prolonged fashion, but in the final analysis, my dad was taken away from me in a way no one should ever have to lose someone they love, and thinking about the circumstances of his death pains me greatly. The same goes for Bruiser and the coyote. There is no good way to lose a pet, but having one snatched from one's yard by another animal has to be one of the hardest to deal with.

All that said, the coyote is not at "fault" here either -- he was just following his biological imperative. But that doesn't make the entire situation hurt any less. :(

Emily

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Me too. It just breaks my heart, and I just can't bear to think about it. Whether Bruiser's death was quick or not, I doubt that lessens the pain that bunnydodger feels right now very much.


If it helped even a tiny bit then I feel it was worth mentioning.

[Miranda]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I had to recently put down my own furbaby. It's never easy regarless of the situation. They are such a big part of the family. That is a concern about the child in any sense. Hopefully the wild would be more cautious around the scent of man. About the time my first child was toddling in the yard, we put up a fence to help contain, and keep out. Part of it is 4' chain link, and the other 6' solid wood privacy (split rail is more open obviously, our neighbor's split rail is lined with chain link). Obviously if something, or someone, really wanted in badly enough, they would get in regardless. But, I think it's deterient in ways and helps, FWIW. (((hugs))) about the pup:(.

[emily_in_nc]

If it helped even a tiny bit then I feel it was worth mentioning.

I understand, Lisa, and I surely wasn't trying to knock what you wrote. I know that your intentions were in the right place. I was just saying that at least for me, even knowing that a death was quick is not much comfort at all when all that you can focus on is losing a loved one (human OR pet) in a most unexpected and tragic way.

Emily

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I understand, Lisa, and I surely wasn't trying to knock what you wrote. I know that your intentions were in the right place. I was just saying that at least for me, even knowing that a death was quick is not much comfort at all when all that you can focus on is losing a loved one (human OR pet) in a most unexpected and tragic way.

Emily

I hear you. I've have various experiences with death as well, both expected and unexpected, peaceful and awful, animal and human loved ones. We are all different. Something like knowing death was quick would comfort me a little, even in the midst of grief. I do understand what you are saying- nothing can really lessen the grief and pain of loss except time. :o

[bunnydodger]

Thank you all for your kind words and compassion. It is comforting to know that others understand how much we love our pets.

BleekerSG: Thank you for sharing your woodchuck story. I will keep the faith that Bruiser went so quickly too.

I tried attaching Bruisey's picture. Hope it worked.

[Pax]

Oh Bunnydodger, he has the sweetest little face! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb217/Deepliquid/Smilies/Rabia.gif

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[smilingcat]

I've been mulling over on what to say. What can you say...

I'm saddened to see what has happened to hear such awful news. I wish I could make everyone's pain go away with their tragic loss. I wish our encounter with wildlife are always pleasant but ...

with heavy heart my condolence to your beautiful bruiser. He is very cute.

smilingcat

[TahoeDirtGirl]

My heart goes out to you and your family. Bruiser looks like my friends little mix- and has the same personality. Such a sweetie ..

If you need help figuring out how to keep the coyotes out of your yard, please PM me. I worked and continue to work with a nonprofit bear protection group in Tahoe and I have also worked with keeping coyotes safely out of people's yards. Each yard is as different as the owner, so it isn't really helpful for me to start posting how to go about securing your property. Killing the coyote only invites others into their position, and draws males in that would of otherwise not lived there previously, so it's better to just deal with the culprit that is there already. Coyotes will venture out day or night as they learned that people sleep at night and thereby leaving them alone to get in garbage and whatever else they deem as 'food'.

Coyotes have nipped people in CA but that's up for interpretation as to an attack. People think it's cool to feed them thereby drawing them into residences as well as leaving unsecured garbage around, which is an invitation. Coyote rollers work well so you are on your way there, but only on top of chain link fencing.

Let me know if you need help and sending some good thoughts your way ~ Karin

[emily_in_nc]

Bruiser was a real doll....I hope in time your memories will make you smile.

Emily

[elk]

ooooo I can tell from that photo that you REALLY loved him...:)

so regardless, he was a very lucky guy.

[aly]

I don't have words to express how sorry I am for your loss.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What a sweet face! :o

[jesvetmed]

Bruiser: I am so saddened for you. What a cute little guy. My thoughts are with you. No matter how they are lost, it is such a terrible pull on your heart.

[GLC1968]

Oh, what an adorable dog!

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I had something more eloquent and helpful to say, but I don't. Just know that we are all thinking of you!