Cairn v. Coyote

[Catman]

Yesterday my wife came home with the groceries so I went into the open garage to carry them in. Willie usually accompanies me when I'm walking around so he was tagging along. I don't worry too much as he doesn't run off and is always within earshot. We'll, I got the last of the groceries and closed the garage. I forgot Willie was outside. A couple hours later my son noticed him outside and told us. He was pretty wet from the rain but wasn't complaining as he loves the woods near our house. Other than my concern about him being out in the weather I didn't give it much more thought.......until this morning.

A neighbor stopped me as I was pulling out of the driveway to tell me that she saw two Coyotes in the woodline watching Willie. Not sure if Willie noticed them. He wouldn't necessarily confront them if he was interested in other things. Anyone have a similiar experience.

[CathyAnn]

Ohhhhh!!! The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up while reading this!!!

Those coyotes will, repeat, WILL come after Willie.

We just got notice that coyotes have been sighted in our neighborhood once again. They are coming in to find food. As a matter of fact, we have had a few dogs attacked in our area in the past few years. And, we are in the middle of suburbia!!

Please, please be careful.....

Cathy

[toomanypaws]

:!: Please be careful leaving your cairn outdoors! As fiesty as a cairn may be, they are no match for a coyote. We have coyotes all around us and often see them along the highway standing at the edge of the woods. Many nights we can hear the coyotes in the distance, a sound that is quite eerie when you first hear it.

The link "coyote" below gives some great info on coyotes.

(if a message comes up about restoring Mime type association to Quicktime, just click "no" and the link should still work.)

coyote

I copied/pasted this from the above link:

"Coyotes are not your average dog -- they are not to be messed with. They are smart, and they learn quickly. They can be dangerous, and when it comes to urban coyotes, steps should be taken to avoid encouraging them to visit your neighborhood. That means close garbage can lids tightly, do not leave pet food outside and do not leave small pets outside unaccompanied.

Coyotes love nothing better than cats and frequently take small dogs. Inform neighbors of your sighting and encourage them to take steps NOT to attract the clever little varmints. Remember: Make sure that no pet food is ever left outdoors."

Please keep Willie indoors w/ you.

[Catman]

Thanks for the info. This was a freak occurance since I never let Willie go out unaccompanied. It just reinforced the need to be vigilant regarding his presence.

[Wiz]

I'm seriously considering buying a cairn because I live in an apt. now. I used to keep some large dogs (German Shepard / Alaskan Malamute crosses) and didn't have to worry about things like coyotes. In fact I set Uff my largest dog on a coyote once that was into my neighbor's sheep. He injured it badly. I guess you have to supervise little guys like cairns and norwich terriers all the time.