# We think coyotes have come back again



## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

We're going to have to be extra vigilent with our dogs now,when we let them out..We think coyotes have moved in the area and they left some light brown colored poop right on our landscape blocks.. They like to poop in places with high visibility...

We have a couple of dogs next door but they're big black labs and they don't let them run loose..so we don't think it was them.

This poop had light colored hairs in it..
It's been a long time since we've had coyotes in the area.

We have a fenced in area for the dogs to potty,to keep them close by but I think we will have to redo it now. It's a 3 ft fence and it's 20 ft long,too long where 5 dogs running around can spread out and become targets..

We never let them out alone,but we'll be extra vigilent..

We have two 8x4 ft kennels that are enclosed , we can link them together..so I think we're going to use them to have dogs go potty in.. We used them one winter when it was really cold and covered it in heavy plastic so they had a covered potty area in winter..
I told Al we will go out in pairs to let them potty..

I dread when winter comes ,it will be dark in the morning and evenings..

Crap,there goes my coming in and out of the studio at night now..











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## maggie's mommy (Mar 12, 2006)

I would definitely opt for the enclosed kennel. Maybe you could install motion lights on the house near the kennels to light the area for you and also alert you if there are any "critters" close by. Really sad when we can't put our dogs out in their own backyard.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

You are doing a great job Michelle & Al---such good doggie parents! It is a hassle to fight the enemies from every side---coyotes, fire-ants, snakes, hawks, owls, ticks, spiders, hornets, scorpions, fleas, heart worms, inept vets :smilie_tischkante:-- to name only a few. I do what I can & pray without ceasing for protection & wisdom. Little Marco---not yet 5-- told me about ticks this summer "they are nasty little critters." "Out of the mouths of babes." I laughed out loud, but he is right! :smhelp::smhelp:
We have some workers in & one is from Honduras---he lost a little Yorkie here in TX. last year from a small rattle snake on his deck---it got him in the eye.:smcry: Well, I was crazy before he told me that so you can imagine how neurotic I am becoming now! I haven't even thought too much about coyotes so far---ugh!:smpullhair::smpullhair:
Adjusting to live in the good ole' USA requires vigilance & tenacity & maybe more than a small dose of humor. OK, I am off to look for the yellow brick road to OZ. :HistericalSmiley:


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## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Oh gosh, Michele...I feel your pain. I put up a fence and still need to be right out there by their side due to Hawks, coyotes and the newest critter living at the corner of my fence is a fisher cat. I called my pest control/wildlife company and they said fishers are the hardest to trap. I have a woodchuck that lives there or did life there (heard that terrible screaming the other night when a fisher kills) but this little stinker (woodchuck) digs to get on my side of the fence. I went to let Lacie out a few weeks back and it was a good thing I checked because the woodchuck was right outside my door eating my grass.
I was told a covered area and to put barb wire underground along the fence because coyotes will dig. I never did it but sometimes wish I had.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

Were very fortunate here. The only thing I need to watch for our bee's, no heart worms, etc. But if I lived in the country I would watch for coyotes I hate them, there so sneaky. Sandi you should have moved close to me. I would have loved that.
Michelle I love the covered pin.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Matilda's mommy said:


> Were very fortunate here. The only thing I need to watch for our bee's, no heart worms, etc. But if I lived in the country I would watch for coyotes I hate them, there so sneaky. Sandi you should have moved close to me. I would have loved that.
> Michelle I love the covered pin.


:thumbsup::thumbs:

That would have been so fun, Paula! :wub:


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

We have seen a coyote walk down the middle of the street in front of our house! Our backyard is fenced but the puppies can only get off the deck and run if we're out there watching them. Of course, now it's just too hot. In the 90's. They don't even stay on he deck with us long before they want in the house.


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## teacherterry (Jul 12, 2017)

We used to live in the suburbs and had to worry about coyotes and hawks etc. We lived on a fourth of an acre so lots of swooping room. Now we live in town with a fenced in yard so feel much safer but I still co out with them. Also they are pad trained too. I have also heard that coyotes can jump 6 ft fences.


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

wow, be careful. We have fisher cats ; nasty weasels.


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## CorkieYorkie (Apr 10, 2012)

I'm always worried! We have a 6' privacy fence and motion lights on all sides of the house plus some solar lights along the back of the fence where it's darker but we always go out with them to potty. This spring our next door neighbor posted on Nextdoor that a coyote was in his backyard at NOON I freaked... now we take them out on leashes when it's dark.

I also worry about hawks especially since it's sometimes hard to stay by both of the pups when they run in opposite directions to do their business!


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## Madison's Mom (Dec 26, 2007)

I had never heard of a fisher cat before. I looked them up - they have really nasty looking mouths!

It's weird, but we saw more coyotes when we lived in the city than we do now that we live in the country. However, I was walking out Border Collie on our back acreage the other day and saw some strange poop, much like what Michelle described. Makes me wonder if there are some back there. None of our dogs, even the BC, are allowed outside without us. We have hawks that I have some pretty nasty conversations with on occasion. My neighbor says they are not the kind that prey on small animals, but I'm not buying it!


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Madison's Mom said:


> I had never heard of a fisher cat before. I looked them up - they have really nasty looking mouths!
> 
> It's weird, but we saw more coyotes when we lived in the city than we do now that we live in the country. However, I was walking out Border Collie on our back acreage the other day and saw some strange poop, much like what Michelle described. Makes me wonder if there are some back there. None of our dogs, even the BC, are allowed outside without us. We have hawks that I have some pretty nasty conversations with on occasion. My neighbor says they are not the kind that prey on small animals, but I'm not buying it!


If a hawk can't carry off an animal it will gut and eat as much as it can before flying off.

I read I can get coyote pee and spray it around but I don't want to attract more coyotes..

We live in the country so it's not like someone would walk their dog up and let them poo on our landscaping..

Usually dogs will poo in the yard but this was close to the house and an odd place..We cleaned it up and disinfected so we'll be watching if more shows up.


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## maddysmom (Mar 8, 2012)

Madison's Mom said:


> I had never heard of a fisher cat before. I looked them up - they have really nasty looking mouths


Fisher cats skin their prey before they eat them and they love woodchucks and bunnies. They are beyond vicious animals!

Not sure if anyone remembers the woodchuck I posted last year on my neighbors lawn. It was skinned to death. I bet it was a fisher cat that did it!! We all thought it was some evil person, lol...love our imaginations!!


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

maddysmom said:


> Fisher cats skin their prey before they eat them and they love woodchucks and bunnies. They are beyond vicious animals!
> 
> Not sure if anyone remembers the woodchuck I posted last year on my neighbors lawn. It was skinned to death. I bet it was a fisher cat that did it!! We all thought it was some evil person, lol...love our imaginations!!



And cats - they are the number one killer of cats. Fishers are found in a narrow band across Canada into New York and Massachusetts and central New England. They are one of the few species that hunt porcupine. They tend to avoid really large animals - bigger dogs, humans, etc.


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## Steph_L (Jul 20, 2015)

When I lived with my parents they lost a chicken to a hawk and if a hawk can fly off with a chicken then it can certainly fly off with a small dog. We just spent a month with my in laws who live on a lot of rural acreage. We had to watch out for hawks every time Daisy went out and we only let her own during the day. From the house we saw coyotes and foxes in the back of their horse pasture. Our house here in GA has a fenced in yard but it backs onto woods so I do worry. Daisy isn't allowed out at night since it's a fairly large yard with minimal lighting. She doesn't like to stay out now anyway because of the heat.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

We have hawks---but we also have wires in the back garden which is long & narrow so I am hoping they will deter the hawks due to not so much swooping area. We still don't let the pups out alone. It is hard when they go in different directions. We do have lots of trees so it isn't always easy to see what might be sitting up there. I put out 3 rubber snakes---but they are sort of a joke. I am putting out a humming bird feeder this week so will have to move the snakes!


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## blkdog (Dec 29, 2014)

Wow, I read all your posts and I just have to comment. Everyone on this forum loves their dogs so much and with good reason, dogs are amazing, emotional and intelligent animals. Coyotes are canines, they are social and intelligent, they communicate with each other and they love their mates and their babies. They each have their own unique personality just like your beloved dogs. Fisher cats are a really amazing and unique species, what a gift to get to catch an actual glimpse of this incredible animal that shares our planet. These animals have to eat and it may seem cruel but it's natures way. Many humans eat meat and the animals humans eat live through way more suffering and torture than an animal killed by a fisher cat. Please keep your dog's safe, no one wants to lose a beloved pet to an animal of prey but all of the wonderful animals on this planet, have intelligence, emotions and a purpose. We need to show compassion to all animals on this planet and see the beauty of all the amazing species on this planet. 
Be grateful for your backyard wildlife and remember every life is important.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Since I saw the coyote poop,I haven't seen any ground hogs in my yard now or any bunnies or stray cats...So he/she is obviously around..


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## Pooh's mommy (Aug 31, 2014)

Stay safe Michelle. 
Coyotes are rambling here in the rural area where I live. Some are huge.
Hawks are always a problem here around nesting time. 
We have foxes and an abundance of rattlesnakes this year.
Super scary indeed!


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## [email protected] (May 9, 2015)

Earlier this year, there was at least one roaming coyote that has been terrorizing my neighborhood. There have been numerous accounts of small dogs taken and at least one Maltese :angry:.
They initially probably came to our area mostly to human encroachment to their home/land. 
I suspect one of the main reason its still in the same area is because of the dog scat that people leave on the sidewalks. 
I keep Sophie on a very short leash and whenever we're outside, we're within a few inches of each other.

Just one more thing to worry about...first big, aggressive dogs with dumb irresponsible owners, now, coyotes looking for a yummy Maltese to snack on :smilie_tischkante:


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

That's why we clean up all the doggie poo,scoop it up as soon as they drop it.. When we had Harry kitty ,we never left food out for him, we kept it in the house and waited until he came a meowing at the door to be fed,once he finished,it went right back in the garage.. we never left any food outside...


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## [email protected] (May 9, 2015)

michellerobison said:


> That's why we clean up all the doggie poo,scoop it up as soon as they drop it.. When we had Harry kitty ,we never left food out for him, we kept it in the house and waited until he came a meowing at the door to be fed,once he finished,it went right back in the garage.. we never left any food outside...


Those are very wise things to do.

I've seen some stupid people doing some really stupid things in my area. I've seen one person leaving handful of kitty kibble for her favorite stray cat everyday (I couldn't justify scolding her because she's basically the same age as my mother). I've seen pieces of doggie kibble on the sidewalk (from someone's overflowing treats). All these things attract numerous predator and prey animals.

I don't know about your environment Michelle, but predators like coyotes are not fond of open spaces. They like to hide in tall grass and they often snack on small animals (mice, rats, birds, etc) while searching for larger prey. 
Even if you use an outside kennel, a hungry coyote will dig and pull your poor pup through the cage. Granted, you may have time to do something but chances are very slim (coyotes often attack silently when humans aren't around or aren't paying attention).

The only real solution is either relocate those coyotes (they can migrate for several miles) or exterminate them. Once they have an established food source, they will not leave that area. Its sad, but they're intelligent, opportunistic animals.


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