First off I am absolutely not looking for disturbing stories. So please don’t share those with me. I’m just looking for opinions and perhaps some reassurance.
I live in a residential neighborhood that is not far from farmland. There have been a disturbing number of coyote sightings and the killing of small animals. I have a dog. A Bichon Frise. He weighs close to 20 lbs. My home has a fenced yard with one side of the yard having a short and jumpable portion. I’m not sure how concerned I should be. Is my boy big enough that a coyote wouldn’t bother? Is he vulnerable at his size? Without getting too terribly graphic I would like some opinions and hopefully some reassurance that I should not be “over anxious”.
Be concerned. MUCH larger dogs have been taken. Anecdotally, much larger dogs have been attacked while at their masters feet.
When your dog goes outside, go with him. Have a LOUD noisemaker available (police whilstle, etc.)
A walking stick would not be excessive. Edit:
Fences are no guarantee of security. Coyotes and coy-dogs have cleared short fences, and undermined tall ones.
You should probably look into upgrading the fence, but it probably won’t be too much of an issue unless the dog gets out. I live in a part of the country where coyotes are pretty constant (you hear them all the time in the spring, and I’ve seen several in my neighborhood at various times and almost every week crossing a road). We have several dogs even smaller than yours and haven’t lost one yet. But you do see a constant stream of lost dog/cat posters in the neighborhood…and most of them will probably never be seen again, sadly. I don’t think most of these are from folks who’s pets are just in the back yard though. And a 20 lb dog is probably ok in any case (in your fenced in yard). Smaller than that and I’d say you should definitely keep an eye on them even when they are in the back (I actually worry more about hawks and my own dogs, since they are 5-6 lbs and really look like prey).
If you’re going to leave him out alone for any significant time at night you’ll have to make a fully enclosed run. Fences won’t stop a coyote and a 20 lb. dog is an enticing meal.
We live 2 blocks in from a forest preserve and see coyotes frequently … not as often as the constant pestilence that are deer but often. There has over the last several years been one presumed coyote attack fatality on a dog, an 18 pound Cavalier King Charles spaniel that was let out into the back yard in the evening.
The risk is small but non-zero, uncommon enough enough that it is consistently local news when it happens.
Be concerned enough to take simple common sense precautions. Don’t be a place that they otherwise find food: garbage cans tightly covered and secured, no dog food outside, and yeah, I’d walk that dog rather than let run around the yard very long, especially in the evening. You are big and scary to a coyote. If you see one while walking you dog pick him up wave your arms and make noise.
But putting this in perspective … coyotes want to maximize their risk/reward. Most of the time a 20 pound dog is going to be seen as much more risk than their more usual prey of chipmunks, mice, squirrel, rabbit, other rodents (including rats as they move more urbanward), and goose eggs. And maybe the occasional feral cat. And sometime deer fawns. (Good on coyotes for keeping the pests down.)
Thanks everyone for your comments. The only time Boscoe is out is when he is doing his business. From here on out I will be going with him to keep watch. Other than that he’s indoors. Never off leash when we go for evening walks. No food left outside. I do have to be more vigilant about picking of his poop right away because apparently coyotes are drawn to it. I typically pick up after him once/twice a week.
Yeah, I hadn’t thought that the dog might be left outside all night or for extended periods of time. I don’t think it’s still a major risk in an enclosed yard (I’d still look to upgrade the fence), but as you say it’s non-zero and a coyote COULD jump the fence and take the dog…though the risk/reward is going to seem pretty slim I’d guess for any but a really desperate coyote.
I do the same for my dogs which are a lot smaller. They are never left outside for any extended time and I generally keep an eye on them when they are out. Your dog should be fine if you do that…coyotes aren’t magic ninjas and you’ll hear your dog barking frantically before the coyote can jump the fence and get to him. That’s what small dogs are after all…bio-security alarms.
Sure. But not as good as the species who built that fence.
No doubt a coyote could get into the OPs yard. But the coyote, no matter how used to humans they might have gotten, are going to be cautious. There are probably a lot easier and human free prey animals around the OPs house that would be better opportunities for a hungry coyote than risking jumping a fence to get at a barking dog in a humans dwelling.
I have a dog of the same size and dimensions and I concur that he should never be outside alone. Aside from coyotes, raccoons and possums could also ruin his night, and a skunk would ruin yours. When you’re out there with him, stand by that short fence and talk to your pup, so that coyotes and other predators will see and hear you there.
That dog is a snack (and probably a really tasty one to them). He wouldn’t even be safe in a reinforced dog cage left outside. If you love that dog, make him an inside dog or move him to a different state.
Honestly, if you left him out in a cage overnight… even guarded by a pissed-off high on Meth Tom Arnold with night vision goggles, a Bushmaster, and 200 Banana clips, that dog might still not make it through the weekend.
You might end up with more ground beef than 3 Taco Bells though.
Coyotes aren’t the only animal that will kill a small dog , I have to watch out for hawks and eagles when taking my small dog outside . I had seen birds come down for a dive for my dog and had to run back inside! Raccoons also eat small dogs and cats so you should never let any small pet outside on their own. Coyotes can run up a 6 foot fence so a higher fence won’t help , most wild animals have their babies in the spring so there would be a lot more small pets missing. I had a coyote come right up my small dog while I had him on his leash . We were outside at
12 AM and I looked down to see if my dog was peeing and there was a coyote sniffing my dog’s butt! I didn’t hear the coyote sneak up on us and my dog didn’t bark ,he was scare shitless ! I yelled and the coyote took off and my dog started barking . When I go out now with my dog I keep looking behind us to made sure we’re not being followed by a coyote !
There are habituated coyotes, and coyote-domestic dog hybrids that have essentially lost their natural caution toward humans and will approach residences or even follow people walking small dogs. I’ve personally faced off with coyotes aggressively prowling around a campsite, and later discovered that reports of coyotes entering the site and taking food out of backpacks and tents has been relayed. (This, of course, is an argument for not storing any food or aromatic items in tents, and carrying such food in bear-resistant containers which can be removed from packs and safely stored away from the immediate vicinity of the campsite.) Coyotes are notably wiley (pun intended) and unlike the cartoon versions often catch their prey. A 20 lbm dog is basically to a coyote what a nice ribeye is to a human, and they have no problem jumping fences or going through or around other penetrable barriers to get such a tasty meal.
Keep your dog under watch and be nearby. If you actually see coyotes being so brazen as to come within easy sight of your property, consider carrying pepper spray, a bullhorn (they do not like loud noise), or enjoin someone to provide varminting services on your behalf if permissible where you live. Trapping is unlikely to be effective and laying poison bait leaves you liable should some domestic animal take the bait and be killed but talking to your local animal control or fish & game service may provide some additional alternatives (they may come out and lay poison bait or take the varmints as part of their service).
“Unlikely” is an understatement. The coyote you see is part of a large population native to the ecosystem thriving because there are lots of typical (non-pet) prey about for them. Removing one accomplishes nothing.
I live in Torrance Ca. No big fields for miles from my house. We are loosing dogs and cats almost nightly to coyotes. Last week a German shepherd was killed by them. I suspect it was either old or a pup as I don’t know the details. Coyotes breed fast and over the course of a few decades they may start producing pups that are more prone to eating domestic animals. For some reason it seems to be less of an issue in rural areas than urban areas.
Rural areas can provide a sustainable food supply for the coyotes without pet or livestock supplements. In suburban and urban areas coyotes can deplete their natural food supply quickly. When that happens, wary of humans or not, they have to eat anything they can catch.
