Do you live with Coyotes?

[disykat]

Apparently we do. I've always known that it was a possibility and some of the neighbors had reported their presence prior to us moving here. However, in the 6 1/2 years we've lived here we've never seen one or any evidence of one.

A few weeks ago one of the neighbors found the remains of their cat and have been hearing coyotes at night (they sleep with their windows open). Since then I've found three piles of "scat" in the middle of paths and the street. I saw on the internet that they do that specifically on paths to mark their territory.

This is making me nervous! One of the paths was the bike path my son is making in the woods behind our house. We have a miniature schnauzer that is inside at night, but sometimes stays outside in our fenced yard by herself for hours at a time. I know they are out mostly at night, but dh came home from work today and reported seeing one at the side of the road about a mile away - in broad daylight.

Anyone have any experience living with Coyotes?

 

[JulianneP]

Please send them my way!! We have had a fox leaving in our back yard and under our deck for 2 months now. (my backyard is no bigger then a bedroom) So my kids have not been able to play on our deck. This morning it was once again scratching on my sliding glass door and this afternoon it took a nap under my son's little tyke car. Our wonderful animal control gave up when they saw it sleeping next to the trap!!!

 

[Regina]

They do come out in daylight. I had gotten the newspaper, took the dog to our backyard and let her off the leash. I was standing there, reading the paper, and when I looked up, there was a coyote on either side of her!!

I ran after them screaming and hollering. They ran in opposite directions but each stayed in the neighboring yards waiting for me to leave. I leashed my dog and ran inside.

They were afraid of me, but they were definitely interested in my dog, and she's not small, she's 50 pounds.

I don't want to scare you, but I'd think twice about leaving the dog out without you watching it.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I live in a very populated subdivision but my backyard backs up to a huge dairy farm. My most prized kitty got our of our house about 3 years ago and was promptly eaten by one of these heathens!

I now have a Keeshond and she lives on our back porch (screened in and air-conditioned) and the coyotes come up to the porch EVERY night and wail at her!

 

[JESW]

Yes, we have coyotes in our area. We often hear them howling at night and its a real creepy sound! Several neighborhood cats have gone missing and now most people keep their animals in at night. My neighbor has seen them out in broad daylight. We havent had any trouble...yet. But we also have deer, woodchucks, turkeys, pheasants, and other wildlife. We are on 7 acres...most cant be accessed due to the woods and the water.

Jill...whose apostrophe key is still broken....

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They used to be here but have been pushed out of the area due to expansion of the 'burbs.

 

[JayCT]

One morning my DS was getting on the bus two years ago and asked what that animal was a few houses down. I looked up and there was a coyote crossing our very suburban street. I was shocked. I ran inside and called the aniamal control officer and he said they had heard from a number of others about it wandering around our neighborhood. Well we never saw the animal again. A neighbor claims that there are foxes across the street in one of the backyards, but I have never seen them. Hard to believe that these animals are still around here in suburban CT, but they are. Defintitely watch your pets and kids. I do.

 

[disykat]

Yikes! Our fence is 6 ft tall, so the reality is probably less scary than my imagination - but, I won't be leaving her out! I worry about going for walks though. They wouldn't be attracted to her on the leash, would they? We stay on the road to walk, but I'm feeling pretty paranoid when I see their poop on the road - especially since I read it's how they mark their territory. My poor boys are finally old enough to play out in the woods without me being right there and now I'm too scared to let them!

It is so weird to live in a populated neighborhood and have wildlife! We have a wetland area between us and the freeway that I'm sure is a very attractive habitat. We've never worried about bear or cougar, and never seen any deer - because we're snuggled between a busy road and a freeway. But we do have lots of geese, pheasants, rabbits, squirrels, etc. back there so there's plenty of food.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

yep - our house backs up to a forest preserve and we have both coyotes and foxes. Those coyotes sure do make funny sounds at night. The baby foxes are just adorable in the spring and summer.

I've never had any problems with any of the local wildlife threatening a kid or a dog. My cats, when I owned cats, were strictly indoor kitties.

 

[Lanshark]

I had no idea they were in the metro Atlanta area until a friend, who lives about 2 miles from me, was telling me about problems with them. I guess they've pretty much killed all of the neighborhood cats. My friend said this usually happens at night and the noise makes the hair on her neck stand on end. She tried to find someone to humanely trap and relocate them. She said it would be $150 apiece and there are so many she couldn't begin to count them.

 

[flaps]

I saw one in the backyard a few months ago in the middle of the day. Only one I've ever seen, but I've heard 'em at night many times.

 

[Virgo10]

I live on the edge of a large city and I've seen them not a half mile from my house. A friend of mine who lives about 2 miles away has had them in her backyard and my next door neighbor has seen one in her yard.

Way back in the 1970's I was camping in Maine. We swore we could hear them howling at night but when we asked the people who worked the campground they said there was no way coyotes would be in Maine.

Then two years ago a friend of ours was walking his dog along a busy street in the next town. He said a pack of coyotes came out of the woods and began to follow him. He yelled at them but they just kept coming. Luckily a police car was passing by and he flagged them down. They took off at that point. He thinks they were after his dog. How scary!

They appear to be very smart animals and I can only wonder how long it will take them before they figure out that people might be as easy to take out as a cat or dog?

Roberta

 

[pjlla]

Yup... got them up here. Have heard them, but never saw them until about two weeks ago. Driving along and spotted an animal crossing the street.... "what is that?"... YIKES! A coyote! I was quite startled! And all this time we were assuming it was the Fisher-cats getting our kitties!....................P

 

[Kallison]

Could someone tell me what the danger of foxes would be? We've seen three in the past two weeks near our house. I had twelve girls practicing field hockey and it just came out and laid down on the edge of the field to watch us. Basically we just ignored him/her and eventually it left.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Occasionaly we hear stories of dogs and cats on the other side of our town being attacked. We don't let our dog out in the yard when we can't be with him. I don't want to take any risks.

We live in a more populated area of town, but even here, not too long ago, my BF's mom had a deer in backyard. There were NO woods at all anywhere near her house. I mean she lives in a total suburban part of town surrounded by other houses and somehow, a deer wandered into her yard. So if a deer could do it there, I see no reason why a hungry coyote could not do it here.

 

[MeanLaureen]

Oh cripes... now I'm scared to death for my dog's safety!!!

I've never seen or heard one in Richmond.. anyone else?

We only have a 4ft chainlink fence. Is that adequate protection? Probably not. We need to get a 6ft privacy fence in here. The dogs only go oout to do their business but sometimes we might go back inside to do something while they have fun running around with each other. Do you think a coyote would attempt to do anything when there are 5 dogs? Okay, well they are small dogs - 10-20 pounds each. Poor Lacy, she's blind. They would come right after her. Oh geez.. I am seriously freaking out now.

I didn't realize that this happens in suburban areas outside of far north and western states.

We do have foxes around here but they don't mess with the dogs. I have heard they will kill cats though.

Great.. like I wasn't worried enough about the hawks, owls and buzzards... yes, butt ugly buzzards have moved into our subdivision and we can't do a darn thing about it because they are protected. We can't even try to scare them away.

 

[Keli]

Someone killed two LARGE ones and hung them on a fence I'm not sure what that was about...maybe to scare other ones off or just to warn neighbors that there were huge ones around? When they start howling at night (they call back and forth usually from a stand of trees behind our home to one across the road behind our neighbor's home) it gives me the creeps. I always mentally checked to make sure our dog was indoors (even after she had passed away, old habits die hard, lol). They are scary, that's for sure.

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

yep we do to...and they have an "open" all year hunting season for them here.

 

[airhead]

I NEVER put my girl out day or night alone and shes a 65 lb Dobie! When my male was alive,I felt better about them outside because he was very protective of his territory and 100lbs. He once stood up to a bull moose trying to get in the yard!! I was wicked scared I was going to witness the moose kill my dog,but the moose backed off and trotted off into the woods. Coyote travel in packs and they can easily take down a large dog. Please don't put your dogs outside unattended.

 

[DisneyMim]

Yes we do here in Ma. I have been very nervous and upset about this too, so glad I saw this thread today and know that I am not alone. We have coyotes, foxes, deer, wild turkeys, etc. in our area. I've seen them all in our backyard and believe me it is not very wooded as there are houses in back of us. I called the animal contol officer and was told that I "have to live with them". They are endangered and the police/animal control will do nothing about them. My kids hardly went out in our backyard (and we have a wonderful backyard) all summer because early on they were out there and saw foxes that would not run away even when they yelled and made noise. I won't take walks alone anymore. I think it is a shame. Don't get me wrong, I am not an animal hater, but they have taken over (reminds me of The Village LOL). I hope that the authorities come up with some kind of solution soon.