The Coyote That Wanted to Eat My Dog for Breakfast

It's been almost a year and a half since it happened, yet just last month, I had another nightmare about it. In the dream, I was walking our dog on a pitch-black night and without hearing a thing--just sensing something--I whirled around to see two glowing, green eyes. I bolted awake, shaking the bed. It was the coyote. Again.

In real life, it didn't happen that way. It was a sunny day in September, right after breakfast, and I was taking Delilah (still a pup) for a walk around our neighborhood. When we got to the cul-de-sac where the houses meet the forest, seemingly out of nowhere, it charged. For a split-second, I thought it was somebody's dog, loose from its leash. But this was nobody's pet. This was a wild animal, easily double the size of my 25-pound dog, foaming at the mouth and growling, out for one purpose alone: to eat my dog.

I have a rather odd but convenient habit of morphing into another person when I'm in high-panic situations. That other person has her act seriously together. So, no, I didn't scream or run. I got between my dog and the coyote (with about two feet between us), and I bellowed, with alpha-dog superiority, "NO!!!" I just knew, without even thinking about it, that there was NO WAY I was going to let this creature get to my dog. From a stroke of crazy luck, I had a little spray bottle with me filled with vinegar and water (thanks to a tip from our dog trainer), and I instinctively sprayed the coyote several times in the face.* Finally, it turned tail and ran back into the woods. I went home and in a steady, businesslike manner, I wrote an email to all of our neighbors, warning them that an aggressive coyote was out and about. I also called the township to report the incident. Then it hit me, really hard, as I morphed back into "regular" me: I had just fought off a COYOTE. A wild-eyed, raging, hungry, possibly rabid coyote. [Feel free to insert your favorite expletive here.]

Recently, I read an essay by the environmentalist David W. Orr called "Recollections."**  In it, he recounts the night he came face-to-face with a coyote. His experience was just a wee bit different than mine and ended up with the two of them sitting down on the ground at a short distance apart, each cocking their heads to the side in mirror-language, and having a sort of telepathic chat with each other. When his coyote pal finally decided to head off into the woods, Orr says, "I stood and watched him fade into the trees along the creek and then walked home, blessed in some way that I could not describe." Suffice it to say, the only blessed feeling I experienced after my own coyote meeting was enormous gratitude that my little dog and I had walked home unscathed.

For the most part, we choose to live where we live--if not in a city, we might live near the woods, near the ocean, near a swamp, or near vast grasslands where we can't tell what's living within reach of us. A friend down south told me about a 10-foot alligator that made an appearance in her backyard. I saw a news story today about a 2000-pound great white shark that was tagged and released not far off-shore in Florida. My eco-blogging colleague Tricia in Australia recently wrote about spotting a funnel web spider about to crawl under their outhouse. ("Funnel web spider" seems to be another name for "tarantula." Take a look at that thing and be prepared to freak out.)

During the decade or so when I lived in Manhattan, there would be the occasional report on the evening news of a wild animal on the loose (never mind the all-too-frequent rat stories): a rabid raccoon, a very lost mountain lion, a coyote making its way down from the woodlands of Westchester County. I was never particularly pleased at the outcomes of these stories, which usually involved a policeman or an animal control officer killing the "trespassing" animal.

But the world has gotten a lot smaller, and sometimes the boundaries between "us" and "them" are blurred. This is the price we pay to live in a world graced with wild animals. Sometimes, we get too close for comfort, and one side loses the fight. In an article from The Wall Street Journal (which I found fascinating, despite the apparent pro-hunting bias), author Jim Streba writes: "It is very likely that in the eastern United States today more people live in closer proximity to more wildlife than anywhere on Earth at any time in history." I can't argue with him on that point--we have a veritable zoo in our own backyard.

A few years ago, when I was complaining to my husband that some kind of burrowing rodent was digging holes all over our garden, he said one of the wisest things that anybody has ever said to me: "It's just a little creature, trying to make its way in the world." I've thought of those words many times over the years (even when the creatures weren't so little): the time when my children wondered why a fox had eaten a pretty bird and left behind only a mess of bloody feathers near our doorstep; the time a black bear cub ambled across our backyard in broad daylight; every time I see the carcass of a deer who tried and failed to cross the highway. Like us, these animals are (or were) simply going about their daily lives, trying their best to provide for their families, or even just trying to make it through the week in the best ways they know how. Are they encroaching upon our territory, or vice-versa?

On any given day, you never really know what will greet you when you head out of your front door. The coyote experience shook me to the core, that's for sure. I carry pepper spray now and I'm only semi-afraid to use it. I walk outdoors with more awareness and a touch of paranoia mixed with bravado, much like I did during my time in Manhattan. And speaking of those days gone by in the Big Apple, the motto is the same here and now as it was there and then: "It's a jungle out there." Don't I know it!

Your turn: What wildlife have you spotted in your neck of the woods? I'm all ears!

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© 2013 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. Photos and text digitally fingerprinted and protected by MyFreeCopyright.com. Site licensed by Creative Commons.

* Don't spray your dog in the face, especially the eyes. They don't like the scent of vinegar, so our trainer's point was to spray near them when they're doing something undesirable.

** The essay "Recollections" appears in the book entitled Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World (The Bioneers Series). Publisher: Sierra Club Books; (October 1, 2005)

 

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Comments

[Urban Woodswalker]

Ah...this is very scary Joy. I forget where you live...but know that coyote pups are born around this time, and both mamma and papa needs to be extra aggressive is finding food to feed the litter of babies, and defend territory from any intruders. Coyotes mate for life -long term studies have shown that males take an equal role in providing for pups, and defending the territory. There might be a variety of reasons why the coyote attacked.

A national study has been done ongoing for years in the Chicago region: http://urbancoyoteresearch.com/ where I live. We literally have a scientifically estimated 2000 plus coyotes in Chicago and the suburbs surrounding it.Coyotes live in downtown Chicago near the Art Institute, they are in back yards, and one can even see them in factory districts. there is much info on the web about living rationally, and peacefully with coyotes-- as they do serve a positive role in keeping down rodents,deer, and rabbit numbers. In a word...they are good for the environment.

Here was my first encounter while walking our little Jack Russel...shown in a series of 10 photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanwoodswalker/6230905454/

Scared me a lot...and I went on a obsessive education to teach myself how to stay safe and still enjoy the wildlife all around us. Coyotes are just living in this world...trying to exist just as we do. Yes, there are some "bad" coyotes" out there....they might have been tamed by people who feed them.

Also, never stare at a coyote...eye to eye contact is a threatening signal...and they either will back down...are respond with aggression if they are used to being around humans.

I would ask you to consider where you are walking your dog, and perhaps walk it elsewhere to avoid the coyote(s). Coyotes can work in packs, and though you might be able to fend one off, an attack by 2, or 3 will not end well, for you or the dog.

Depending on where you live in North America...the Eastern coyote DNA is showing Wolf ...the Wolf/coyote "eastern" coyote is bigger, and more aggressive. There is only one case on historical record of a human being killed by coyotes...in Nova Scotia...and the coyotes were found to be of this same hybrid mix that is showing up as far west as the middle of Canada, and the Eastern USA. All coyotes in this region now have wolf DNA -- they have been interbreeding.

I want to tell you, I have seen the coyotes as I walk my dog after the event I describe in the link above. I now walk constantly scanning my back, front and sides as I walk- on high alert. They are known to follow you- out of curiosity, or dominance. I make loud noise, talk to the dog, and when I see one on the path who does not want to let us pass, or follows us very sneaky like ...I do NOT back down. I make myself large...arms out, stand tall, and yell. I do not run, I don't shriek or scream. I do NOT retreat. I shorten the leash so the dog is hugging my body...and I take a loud bold step or 2 forward towards the coyote. I want it to know I am NOT EVER to be reckoned with.

So far it works. However, its sheer lunacy to walk the dog in these woods at dawn, or dusk...when the coyotes are sure to be out. The times during a sunny middle of the day encounters (there have several now over a 2 square mile range where I find a coyote at the very least watching us...especially Snoopy)... have been fascinating.

Pepper spray is great, a loud noise maker...like those air cans is good too. But, since your encounter was so close and bold...I would advise you to not walk your dog in that area.

You might want to get together with your neighbors, and make sure no one is putting out food for cats, or other pets. A friend of mine...has bird feeders all over her yard, feeds about 200 ducks each night, and puts out food for the deer, and the feral cats. She then wonders why she has coyotes in her yard? They have most likely eaten the one gray feral cat who just disappeared. Its people who are making coyotes bold and aggressive for the most part.

I hope this helps. I got lots more info if you even need it. Most coyotes live out lives avoiding humans...but there is always a bad apple so to speak...just like there are good humans, and bad ones. We tend to only hear about the bad coyotes eating people's cats or dogs...while hundreds of others live peacefully all around us. It sounds like you have a very bold desperate coyote out there. I wish you and your pet the very best. Oh, and be careful of letting your young children play outdoors in coyote land. One can never be too careful.

[Debi]

What a scary experience! I'm thankful to say that (knock on wood), I've only had very positive experiences with local wildlife here in Los Angeles. I even shared one such encounter with a hawk on my blog: http://www.goexplorenature.com/2012/11/urban-backyard-birding-coopers-hawk.html

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

Thank you so much for the extremely helpful information--you are a walking encyclopedia for all things coyote--I had no idea! Also, the photos in the link are amazing. Glad you could snap those, and while avoiding danger.

As for my walking in a new area, this happened on our street--basically, it tore out of somebody's driveway (their house backs up to the woods). So I can't avoid my street when walking the dog, but I am definitely much more vigilant now. I totally get what you mean about walking while looking back and around you. The best defense is being alert and on-guard.

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

WOW. That photo (and the moment) is shocking and raw--the poor pigeon... But I know what you mean--it's all part of the circle of life! Thanks for sharing the link with me.

[Urban Woodswalker]

I forgot to add...a sealed metal can of pebbles, coins, or glass marbles make a great noisemaker also.

excellent account of young women and dog attacked near den territory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyXpPO2BC9c

Last but not least:
Coyote footage...(encouraging danger for the sake of video footage, but fascinating to watch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NqVE9qfg7yI

and...
Sheer stupidity to sit down on the ground to film a close coyote...it makes them unafraid and MORE dangerous:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOK6pgCibw

More helpful info on living safely amongst coyotes:
http://coyoteyipps.com/
"Living peaceably with urban coyotes....."
http://www.nativeanimalrescue.org/coyote-lore-living-with-california-coyotes/

[Urban Woodswalker]

Oh...this is THE BEST site I HAVE EVER found, in all my dozens and dozens of hours of research-- I had temporarily lost the link-- tons and tons of info, videos, recordings, and photos from someone I respect.

http://coyoteyipps.com/2013/01/10/shooing-off-a-coyote-a-primer/

The whole site is worth checking out.

[Alex C Jones]

We live right next to the city of Chicago. My wife has seen coyotes at least 3 times when walking the dog. I have seen only one, and it was because my wife pointed it out to me, and I saw only the back half of it as it disappeared into the shadows. OUr neighbor Linda says that she sees them almost every morning before 05:30 when walking her dog, Maybe they stay away from me when I walk the dog at night, because I am always talking to the dog. Also our dog looks like fox with a curled tail like a Husky's.

They say you should always scare them away, so I don't know what David Orr was thinking. He might have enjoyed that encounter but he might have reduced the coyote's fear of humans, and that is what everyone advises against.

So what you did was the right thing under the circumstances. Between you and Urban Woodswalker, there is more info than I have.

Feeding birds with bird food is okay, but her neighbor who puts out food for deer and feral cats!? I hope we don't have the same neighbor! There should be some kind of law against that!

I did not know about the Coyote-Wolf hybrids in the East. I guess the Chicago coyotes in my neighborhood are not so bad. I bet using a firecracker would shoo them away! But that would attract the police. Maybe a cap-gun or cap-bombs will do?

http://www.amazon.com/Schylling-CAB-Cap-Bomb/dp/B000ELT05Q

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

Be careful out there, Alex! I highly recommend carrying a little canister of pepper spray, which is available at outdoor or sporting goods stores like REI.

[Alex C Jones]

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There is an REI right next to where I work, so I will get two small cans of Pepper spray, 1 to go in the bag for the leash that I use when walking Molly, and one for the one Susan uses when walking. Then, Ill see about getting cap-bombs and firecrackers later. I just want to have a backup option. A firecracker should keep a coyote scared of humans. And if I never need them for coyotes, I should have them ready by the time the cougars/pumas/mountain lions start appearing.