Please exercise caution, but don't fear Coyotes

by Anon
(Ontario)

We live in a rural area where we are surrounded by woods, and we have a small Bichon dog who is about 14 pounds and we do a lot of walking on the dirt roads near our house.

Although we regularly see signs of Coyotes (scat and footprints), we have never had a problem. In fact, I have only glimpsed a Coyote once in all the years I've lived here.

We are mindful of the wildness of Coyotes and take precautions to protect our dog.

I almost always have her on-leash. When we go for walks, although we use a firmly-held extend-a-lead, we keep her fairly close, so any animal that glimpses her will see us and we can reach her quickly.

I also scan to see if any animals are around (like guarding my pack). At night, when we go out, I use a short leash and hover over her while keeping an eye out.

A leash also stops our dog from running to 'greet' the Coyote!

They are opportunistic in terms of prey, but Coyotes are also shy and intelligent and will not normally come close to humans.

With common-sense, we can take adequate precautions to protect our pets in wild spaces.

I think we'll find we're safe when we do.