Coyote At My Doorstep
Hi WA Friends,
This is a super busy time of year. There's lots to prepare and plan for. Plenty of work needs to get done in a timely fashion.
Every day we may start out with a list of things on our to-do list, but things do tend to crop up that take us away from getting it all done.
In fact, if you ever saw Forest Gump, you'll know that, "life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."
So today, the surprise I got was when my 90 lb. Lab ran to the window, growled and became agitated. This shouldn't be anything new, as she does that if she sees a squirrel or a raccoon!
But this seemed different. So I went to the window, and what should I behold? A large coyote right outside my door!
Granted, I live in the country so I do see lots of great wildlife. But this surprised me as they don't usually appear in broad daylight.
I wasn't fast enough to get a picture unfortunately. But you can see from the image I took below what they look like in general. They prowl around at night generally, and often in large packs. Sometimes their howling is so close that it awakens me.
Last winter, I even encountered one audacious fellow while outdoors, who stopped and looked at me from a reasonable distance. After locking eyes, he then continued to trot across my frozen pond into the woods.
Several years ago, we even had two very large, beautiful wolves that came by for a couple of encounters over a few days. One even met my dog nose-to-nose over the fence. Now that was a little too close for comfort!
So a short while ago today, I continued to watch this new guy saunter up the back hill and then into the woods. His hair looked like it was badly molting and he was scrawny.
He actually looked like he might have had an injury as there was hobbling to his gait as he went up over some logs into the forest.
It's now a few hours later and the light is fading. I haven't seen any signs of a return. Hopefully he has moved on to somewhere else. For now, my dog is staying on a leash.
But it goes to show you, you never know what you're going to encounter during the day. Have a good one, WA Friends.
Recent Comments
64
Susan,
About 10 years ago I lived in Redlands, CA and the coyotes would come down from San Bernardino mountains.
Around 3:30 a.m. I hear Freddie, the neighborhood Himalayan cat crying profusely. She was our community maskot. If you left your door open, she'd come in and make herself at home.
She was severely malled by a coyote. By the time we got her to the vet she passed away. It was the safest day of my life.
There are still sightings of coyotes in Redlands. They come out during the day. I'm glad that you have your 90 lb. Lab. Coyotes are bold. We have a lots of rabbits here, they are cute and harmless.
Rachele
Wow, Rachele! That is so sad to hear! They are bold aren’t they. Kind of fearless indeed. I hear of sightings sometimes where someone’s dog gets taken or they approach in neighborhoods.
Not something you want to get up close with…very startling. But I live in their land. Now I’ll be sure to exercise more caution with my hefty Lab. My kitty stays inside only. 😬
Susan,
You can keep an alarm on your keychain on hand, so it will scare the hell out of 'em. When I used to do my 2-mile walks I encountered racoons but never a coyote.
Thanks for keeping us posted.
That's a really good idea, Rachele. I haven't seen those but I'll have to look. Raccoons are nothing to really worry about, unless they have distemper but you can easily get away from them. A lone coyote will most likely run (if not with a pack) but if they're sick, there's an unpredictability factor. Thanks for your suggestion!
Good to know.
As long as you are safe that's what matters. You can also hire - on a couple of Rottweilers (lol).
Thanks so much, Rachele...all is well and I'm always careful. But your Rottie idea is not a bad one. My Lab would wag her tail and roll over lol.
Wow, that’s pretty exciting. I don’t know much about coyotes, I guess they are smaller than wolves.
Great share.
Thanks
Hi Stephen…they are a bit smaller and thinner than wolves, but still fascinating creatures. I love nature and all things related so it was cool to see. Just glad I wasn’t going out the door when it happened. Thanks for dropping by. 😊
I was reading some of the replies and see they are pretty ferocious. Especially in packs.
When I was living in Australia, there were a lot of animals that could kill you. Snakes, spiders and jellyfish but nothing really ferocious. I don’t know which is worse.
Although, they do have dingoes, smaller than coyotes.
Stephen
P.S. I am a self admitted tree hugger.
Awesome, Stephen…tree hugging is actually healthy to discharge ions in the body (or so I’ve heard). Coyotes in packs can be bad news. Never heard of anyone being attacked here but they will take smaller animals. Caution must be observed with all wildlife. Australia IS full of dangerous critters…😳
Hi, Stephen
Pretty much anything that can kill you lives somewhere in Australia! 😎
The home of one of my favorite bands - AC/DC ⚡️
Frank 🎸
Listening to those guys without earplugs would probably kill you to…We would change the words to the songs as young louts…
“ it’s a long way to the shops, for a sausage roll”. Lol.
Wow, Susan! That was some encounter! I'm glad that all ended well!
I hope you had a nice HUMP day anyway! 🐫 You are right! We never know what we are going to get from one day to the next!
Have a pleasant evening!
Jeff🐶😹🐶
It was a surprise indeed, Jeff! When I first looked out the window, I expected the usual nothing but then saw what was getting all the attention! Glad I wasn’t exiting the door when he appeared. Have a good evening!
Susan 🐶😹🐶
I'll bet that you were, Susan! That would have shocked me too!
Stay safe, and enjoy your evening!
Jeff🐶😹🐶
You're very welcome, Susan! It is rainy and chilly here today, so there might be a lot of indoor productivity today!🐶😹🐶
It's cloudy and chilly here too. Work hard! I'm trying to convince myself to get some holiday baking done, but I'm lacking inspiration at the moment. We shall see what chores make the list! 🐶😹🐶
We do have a few packs of coyotes nearby (I live in Colorado). Not fond of their howls when they celebrate a kill. Some folks confuse our Huskies with coyotes - we clear that up pretty fast. The coyotes stay away from our house - I don't think they want two 70 lb Huskies taking them on. Keep your dog safe for sure - one dog doesn't stand as much of a chance against a pack of coyotes.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jeannine and taking time to comment. Much appreciated.
I can imagine you’ve had people confuse your Huskies as hard as it is to believe. I don’t enjoy those howls either, but such is country life. I will be watching my Lab more closely when she’s outside now. Have a great evening.
Susan
Oh Wow! That was a sighting Susan! Did it stay longer in your front door?
He must have lost his friends for they do Travis packs!
Yeah, life is like a box of chocolates indeed!
Cheers,
Maria🎄
Hi Maria…it was a very surprising sighting. I think he stayed around about 10 minutes but could sense my dog inside and moved on - which is best for all. Great to see, but at a safe distance. This was a bit too close for my liking! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated.
Susan
I don’t know how I would react, but I have my dogs with me all the time, so I would feel safe!
Always a pleasure Susan!
Have a good night!
Cheers,
🎄 Maria
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Woah! Coyotes are sneaky, crafty, and quick!
There are a lot in the area I live in and they are very bold. They roam the neighborhoods (we have a lot of green space between housing developments) without fear, it seems. Unfortunately, people let their cats roam as well and they become easy fodder for the coyotes.
I actually love to hear their yipping at night; both thrilling and frightening!
Did you see the recent viral video of the dad who got his toddler out of the car in their driveway, turned to get something else out of the car and in an instant, a coyote grabbed his toddler? Dad to the rescue!!
Stay Safe!!
Tami
Oh wow, Tami! I’ll have to look for that video. You are right about their attributes. I’ll have to be more careful. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Much appreciated!
Susan