A Coyote Took My Bruiser

[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.

[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! 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 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).



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.