19 replies to this topic

[968Syncro]

Well, Ricky was with us here in this house for about 13 years. She was "outdoor trained", always ran loose outside and came back, but never went very far. Our place is semi-rural on the edge of the wild lands near San Diego, with no fences, but with coyotes, rattlers, scorpions, even a bobcat once in a while, other dangers. Ricky is a little white Bichon, or little poodle or something like that, we were never exactly sure since my daughter picked her up "on the streets" as a pup. So this morning my wife let her out back, right on the patio/pool area where little she often went out in the morning. She heard a little yelp, and some flash in the corner of her eye disappear over the edge of the hill. I raced out there, saw nothing, then 45 second later saw a coyote running, already pretty far away, with a white fluffy thing in his mouth. Watched him run far away into the trees.

So yeah, you never know when something will strike. Sometimes when I am driving I wonder the same thing, often on a 2 lane road --- as the cars are approaching in the other lane, I sometimes wonder: is this the idiot who is going to cross the center line and hit me head on? When on the freeway, when I see in the rear view mirror the "ricer" racing and swerving behind me: is this the idiot who is going to sideswipe me?

I am sure the extreme drought is bringing all the wildlife closer to the homes. She knew the danger, she had even been in a couple of fights with Coyotes many years ago and survived. But not this time. Always tough to loose a family dog, my wife is pretty upset. But we have another dog, that "of course" my son picked up as a stray pup, we think he is half Lab and half Pitt Bull -- the coyotes wouldn't stand a chance with him.

[ds968]

Heart breaking story.

For the first time in the 32+ years we lived in the area ( we're surrounded by many hills, forests, wildlife preserve, with deer just casually stolling by ..it's practically a Disney movie set.. ) we saw a coyote who somehow found its way into our back yard in spite of a 6 ft chain link fence which encloses the back of property, and six foot wooden fences and gates in the front and side perimeter areas.
The damn thing was just taking a rest on the concrete steps in our garden, and since we have an indoor-outdoor cat, you can just imagined the panic when my wife saw the coyote and the cat happened to be outside at the time. She threw her shoe at it, and the coyote took off, but not in any particular rush as if it was in fear for its life or anything...

The cat is a 3 year old male and fast as hell, but not sure if it can outrun a coyote ? It can probably outmaneuver him...until he gets reaches a tree or something else it can climb on... hopefully.

Need to get the rifle out and just wait.. the BB gun would only put a bruise on that coyote and i don't know if their memory is all that great, they might return.

[968Syncro]

Our neighbor offered to come over and instruct on how to make "poison meatballs" which they use when the coyotes start lounging around their yard. I doubt we will go that far, it probably isn't legal. I kill the rattlesnakes I find, which is legal. But that is not popular among all the neighbors, since --- and I agree -- I hate killing wildlife. Another neighbor catches the rattlers, and then drives them out in the wild and releases them. Which in fact is not legal, since it is not legal to relocate wildlife (perhaps in all of CA, or maybe it is just some local law).

[Ernie]

Bummer! Sorry to hear that. They are kinda like family, those little critters.

[JTP]

Tragic story, but it's what wild life is. When I lived in Alaska, there many stories like this from people that moved there from the lower 48. They let the dog out to pee and it gets taken by a wolf even an eagle. Sad but it's the cycle of life.

[banditsc]

My condolences..

Looks like you are ok to kill the Coyotes, just not with poison. http://ucipm.ucdavis...ES/pn74135.html
Legal Status

Coyotes have no special protection in California and may be killed by any method that is not prohibited by federal, state, or local statutes. Since the passage of a state ballot initiative measure in November 1998, leghold traps cannot be used to capture coyotes except in situations where a human health and safety emergency has been declared by designated officials, or in selected situations where the existence of an endangered species is threatened by predation. Toxicants or poisons used to control coyotes are illegal, with the exception of fumigant cartridges available only to predator control specialists to asphyxiate coyote pups in their dens. No chemical repellents are registered for use in repelling coyotes from property or from livestock.

The situations in which coyotes cause damage are quite variable, and therefore strategies and solutions to resolve these problems also must be tailored to individual situations. Professional wildlife damage management specialists who are employed by federal, state, or county agencies can be very helpful in evaluating coyote damage and in assisting landowners to develop appropriate management strategies for specific situations. Contact your county agricultural commissioner or county Cooperative Extension office to obtain information about professionals who can control coyotes, or telephone the United States Department of Agriculture, California Wildlife Services state office at 916-979-2675, or see the Wildlife Services Web site

Edited by banditsc, 03 July 2014 - 09:20 AM.

[94SilverCab]

Sorry for your loss, we know that pets are like family.

Jay

[MB968]

Can't imagine how I'd feel with such a loss. Though we live right in the heart of the East side of Portland, we are up on a hill formed by an old volcano. We've had to be extermely cautious due to coyotes that show up in our area from time to time due to a large percentage of green space. In spite of finding and dismantling a den on the hillside a few years ago, there are regular sightings on the hill. Coyotes do hunt in packs, so even a larger dog is at risk, not so much as food, but if they are perceived as a competitor for food. We had a friend whose very large dog took off after a coyote, only to have another one close in on him from behind. Fortunately a lot of noise scared both of them away. It's a tough call how much you protect your pet versus allowing them to spend quality time outdoors. We've had friends loose cats who just never showed up at home, but I can't imagine the pain of seeing you dog being carried off. Wish we could do more. Hope the kind words of everyone on this forum provide some solace.

[flash]

we get coyotes here, but not nearly enough. there is a 5 acre park right behind my house, and it is inundated with cottontail bunnies. i can't shoot those varmints fast enough. i had to install a 100' long glass wall at the rear of our property to keep them out.

on that note, a good pellet rifle can do some definite damage to a coyote. won't kill it on the first shot, which bugs me as i don't like to merely injure something, but you can bet it won't be back.

that being said, while you can kill them, you can't shoot them in most areas. they generally have laws prohibiting the use of firearms (yes, pellet guns are firearms) anywhere you have less than 500 feet to the next structure. with poison out, that really only leaves you trapping, and good luck with that.

sucks losing a pet, but i'm not sure what the answer is when you can't do your own pest control, and the city won't do it. that really only leaves introducing predators like coyotes, but even that brings about its own obvious complications.

[JTP]

Why should we kill a coyote for doing what it's instinct tell it to do? Having a pet is a privilege and not more important than a coyote's right to survive. All it sees is easy prey.

[ds968]

Why should we kill a coyote for doing what it's instinct tell it to do? Having a pet is a privilege and not more important than a coyote's right to survive. All it sees is easy prey.

Actually a good philosophical question. And at a conceptual level I would probably agree. However, at an emotional level the answer to your question would be : because MY instinct tells me to kill that f****r if it harms my pet ....and because I can, lol.

[JTP]

Actually a good philosophical question. And at a conceptual level I would probably agree. However, at an emotional level the answer to your question would be : because MY instinct tells me to kill that f****r if it harms my pet ....and because I can, lol.

I don't mean to take away from your loss or pain, like I said earlier it is a tragic loss. I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

Edited by JTP, 03 July 2014 - 06:55 PM.

[Mark]

Bummer, sorry to hear about the pup. I don't mind the coyotes being around since the foxes, the coyotes and birds (mainly hawks, eagles and owls) keep the feral cat and rodent population under control. I don't worry with 110-135 lb german shepherds but when I let the neighbors puppy out every day I do keep an eye out for birds coming in for a meal.

It's supposedly illegal to kill snakes in Maryland but people just don't admit the copperhead and rattlesnake deaths.

[flash]

just to be clear, i was not advocating killing the coyote. the first thing i said was we didn't get enough coyotes where i am. i was only responding to previous comment.

[968Syncro]

well... thanks all for your comments, it was much more than I expected. Everyone is thoughtful, smart, informed, .....

I have a theory about the people here on the forum. I think by now the 968s have all migrated into the hands of a certain type of person, a certain class of people who have something in common. That is pretty cool in my book. Early on I got out more to the 968 events and got to meet all you owners, and always everyone was great. I'm gonna have to take some steps to get the 968 spiffed up a bit (catch up on some maintenance) and see the 968 guys in person again.

Thanks for all your supportive comments.

Roland

[Rap]

Roland this has been my impression also!

[lbpesq]

Sorry about your pup. The circle of life can indeed be upsetting at times. We live next to a man-made lagoon. Earlier this week, my wife called me at the office very upset. She had been out on the deck, watching a mother duck with a string of baby ducks swimming behind. The mother duck then took off for some reason. leaving the babies on the lagoon, when a large seabird swooped down and grabbed a couple of the baby ducks. And I lost a cat probably to coyotes when I lived in Sierra Madre Canyon above Pasadena many years ago.

Bill

[kzem1]

Sorry about your loss! That is so sad!

[Chris Vais]

Like Bill, I live on a saltwater lagoon. I've had problems with raccoons raiding my fish pond. Since I live in an urban forest, it wouldn't surprise me to see a coyote. Some of the raccoons are big enough to be threatening. It is illegal to discharge a firearm in Alameda, so my solution was to buy a paintball pistol. It isn't lethal by any means, but it works very well on discouraging the raccoons. You just work on being a good shot, because it is very tough to explain to your neighbor where the red paint splash on the side of his house came from.

I my part of Alameda there are about half a dozen raccoons running around with red heads or behinds. A paint ball head shot really puts the fear of God in them.

[az968]

Roland, I know my wife would be devistated if our small dog was carried off. 13 years is a long time to have a pet, you become quite attached. We've had neighbors lose pets like that. We live against a creek and have all sorts of critters pass through - coyotes, bobcat, lynx, occational mtn lion, raccoons, skunks, etc not to mention the hawks and eagles. One of the benefits of living against a wild area is being able to experience all of nature and have some serenety from city noise and congestion. With that comes the continuing vigalance to avoid the bad stuff - walks on leashes, outdoor spot lights for evening walks, morning coffee on the deck to keep an eye out. No direct defense at hand, like a pellet gun, but maybe a paintball pistol might be in order.

Let's hope that's the only pet lost to this forum.