I don't want to go for a walk anymore~ Coyote?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

It has been awhile since Spud and I took a good long walk. We really needed to get out and pee on as many mailboxes as we could find in the three-mile walk.  So, we did.  Well, he did and he did a great job.

We were finishing the last mile when I saw a dog.  An unleashed German Shepard mix.  The stray dog's ears perked really tall and stopped. So did I. Spud was eyeing another mailbox and he was hoping I would loosen his leash again.  I yelled at the strange dog to go home and it turned around and took three steps in the other direction.  We played this game over and over and each time, he would come back even closer. At first, I thought, I was going to SAVE a stray dog. Yep. I will help him!!!!

This dog was so thin and upon further inspection I don't think he was a dog at all but a Coyote.  I looked around waiting for his pack. They had to be somewhere. I looked for my phone and found I forgot it on my desk.  I looked for the closets home, picked up two sticks, and yelled at these people that I needed help.  I asked them to call my husband, but he was outside working in the garage and never answered the phone. So, I tried to make it home since I had not seen the " dog" for awhile.

If this dog was a stray, it didn't act shy one bit. Cautious by not shy. As soon as I left the people's driveway, he was following us again.  It never gave up following me.  It would go in and out of houses, yards and down driveways, only to be trailing again. If I last saw him on the right, he would show up again on the left.

I know we have coyotes close by but I have not seen them out during the day and never on a walk. I have heard them a few times ( two winters ago) and they are in the state park two miles down the road.

So, all those with experience, help me. Have you ever had problems?  What do you do when you see one on a walk? What are my odds of having problems again?  Any coyotes have such dark brown coat?  There was some tan markings, and even some spots, but mostly a mud brown.   The coyotes I have seen look Tan, not brown. 

I really, no longer want to walk. Creepy  I was going to go today, but I just would not leave my block.  Sad

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am no expert, but I think it was a stray dog, probably hungry. Where did it go when you got home? Google coyote in OH and see if something similar turns up. I have no idea.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Laurie,

We have them. I have not heard them in a few years.  A few weeks ago, FJ and I were pulled over at night in the State Park looking at the meteor showers.. Yep arrested.  No, not really, but ranger told us we could stay but warned us not to let our dog out as the coyotes had just made a kill and were calling.  Just be careful he warned.  I thought nothing of it.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Here is my advice...MOVE :) 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Again, that like button is missing. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm creeped out for you! Sounds sooooo scary! Thank goodness you and Spud made it home safely. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I did find this on Google;

        A number of coyotes have been known to follow early morning dog walkers, at a comfortable distance, probably out of curiosity or for entertainment. Fortunately most walkers have been amused, or even thrilled, if also curious themselves about this little animal’s behavior patterns. The coyote of course is curious about the dog following the human, not the human. And more rarely, some of the coyotes can get quite enthusiastic, bouncing back and forth with excitement trying to engage the dog’s attention.  Maybe they want to play, as they have seen other dogs do, but their instincts are not allowing them to fully follow through. Or maybe they are messaging the dog to move on. The important thing to remember is that the coyote in such a situation is unlikely to be “stalking” you.

[Sue & Lily Grace]

My breeder right in St Pete Florida just posted these pictures of coyotes in his yard. I hear them howling by the bay here in Bradenton. What is worse is the large otters in our small lake are coming up in the banks I'm thinking New York City.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have had a coyote, a number of years ago, on my property. That was before the deer fence and the dogs. But we do have them in town right here in northern NJ. They have even been in Central Park in NYC. A couple of small dogs have been killed by them too. But I have never seen a picture of a mud brown coyote . All the ones I've seen, mostly pictures, but other wild ones in the west , have been tan. I do try to remember to take my phone all the time now cause who knows what could happen. Ignoring whatever it was seems to have worked well for you this time but I suppose it depends on the situation. I'm glad you and Spud are safe and sound. I suppose you could have called the police when your DH didn't answer. Maybe they would have given you a ride home and investigated.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A coyote actually went into a deli in the heart of downtown Chicago in broad daylight a few years ago:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2644954n

And here's one that hopped on a commuter train in Portland:

 

[DJ & Chance]

I love this.  In many native American stories, the coyote is a trickster hero.  This guy is living up to his reputation! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

He's dark!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How scary, Joanne.

We have a lot of coyotes in my area. It's more common for them to be out and about at night, but if they are hungry, it's not all that unusual to see them around here in the day time as well. There is usually at least a pair of them, if not a pack, so if you see one, you can be pretty sure there's another one nearby.

They are not very big, smaller than your average German Shepherd, and they're usually lighter in color; greyish, tannish, or reddish brown, but not usually dark brown. They're also usually very thin,  filthy and crawling with vermin, so it's hard to tell exactly what color they are. They look kind of like a cross between a wolf and a fox. They are not at all afraid of people or of dogs. In the winter, they're starving, and they will do almost anything for food, especially if they have babies waiting somewhere for their dinner.

JD and I crossed paths with one night a few years back, and it was very frightening. A neighbor tipped me off before we actually saw him. There were two of them. JD and I were walking near the house at night when we heard a god-awful sound like banshees screaming. A minute later, my neighbor threw open his door and called to me "Hang onto your dog, there are coyotes!" Right then two of them ran across the street right in front of us. One of them kept going, but the other stopped a few yards away and just stood there staring at us. He was a lot smaller than JD, maybe 40 lbs.  My neighbor got a pot and stood there in his doorway banging on it and shouting, noise is supposed to scare them. Not this one. He had his eyes on us, a fixed stare. Very unnerving. JD knew that was not a dog, and for once he decided to let me be in control and got behind me, lol.

I knew that you are not supposed to turn your back on them, and not supposed to run. My house was down the street in one direction, the coyote was standing there with his head lowered, staring at us in the other direction. I had to move kind of sideways and backwards to get home without turning my back to the coyote. We moved very slowly. He did not come after us, but he never moved or stopped staring until we got to the house. In retrospect,  don't think he would have attacked us, I think he was afraid we were going to come after him or more likely, his mate and his pups who must have been nearby, and he was going to keep that from happening.

I carried a noise maker on our evening walks for a long time after that, lol.

They have attacked dogs in unfenced backyards in this area, even big dogs like Labs, and they have killed little dogs like Yorkies. I have not heard of one following anyone.

 

 

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