Coyotes: what would you do?

[prosefullstop]

My quandary makes me long for the British countryside, and its lack of predators (well, aside from the Exmoor Beast et al)!

I was talking to a lady yesterday who was walking her 17lb dog last week in the hills just north of LA. A pack of coyotes came from nowhere and tried to take her dog. The woman screamed and threw rocks and kicked out, and finally the coyotes tired, but she said it was the single most terrifying experience of her life.

In July, a lady in the north east lost her JRT to coyotes while on a walk. The JRT bravely attacked after the coyotes set upon the woman's other dog, a Boston terrier, who survived the attack.

I walk Stella a lot in the woods of CT. I've seen coyotes twice in my sister-in-law's back yard, and they are pretty much in every forest there. They are becoming much bolder as a species, through people leaving out food, running away instead of standing their ground etc. etc. They regularly take cats and small dogs from back yards in various parts of the country.

If you had a small dog, would you be tempted to carry mace (legal over here) while on a walk? Would you keep your dog leashed while walking in places where coyotes live (we do this already when walking in bear country)? As an FYI, the Eastern US Coyote is larger than its western counterpart, weighing in at around 35-40lbs.

I don't want to deny Stella her long weekend hikes, but I keep hearing about small dogs being attacked and killed and I'm a bit apprehensive. Opinions?

 

[Enfys]

Hi, I'd keep Stella leashed in that sort of situation, better a disappointed dog than a dead one

Does walking in these areas give you any cause for your own safety? Are there rules for coming face to face with coyotes? I know when I was in Whistler there were signs telling you what to do should you meet a bear, even milk cartons and playing cards had information on them! I met several bears and remember being furious at not having a camera to hand rather than a bit scared.

Tia told me that coyotes like to draw dogs away and then the rest set upon them, and bless her cotton socks, for all her spirit, Stella wouldn't be a match for them. Too dreadful to contemplate. I'd have no hesitation in carrying mace, and a baseball bat as well!

I have three big heavy dogs, and I have to say that they do run the coyotes off, especially at night when I can't see them. During the daytime last winter I regularly had one big dog come loping across my yard and sit, SIT

(cheeky boy) 100m from the house just calmly watching the cats and me. The cats have to look out for themselves but I do worry about my goats.

 

[CAYLA]

Wow, it fould be fab to come across such beasties.........well for me maybe not a prob because I have a huge pack, and a coyote or even a pack ain't gonna get near my akita, deerhound or rotti, german pointer, and my brick house of a whippey x grey x staff or hairy lurcher

to get to my precious whippeys

But I echo enyfs re stella I would def keep her on a lead in areas deamed high risk, they could potentially round her off even if she is a little distance away from u, for the rest to grab her if thats how they work

and she also maybe at a disadvantage to see them creeping up with her one eye : I think I would also carry the mace incase they come close.

 

[Happy Horse]

I am so glad we don't have anything capable of eating us over here!