Posted on 11/29/2015 9:39:34 AM PST by BenLurkin
John Fischer, who lives in the 500 block of Oak Street with his wife, said the couple's three Chihuahuas started barking about 7:45 p.m.
Fischer, who was in the kitchen, didn't think much of the noise. The dogs were in the bedroom with his week-old granddaughter, and he assumed they were reacting to a visitor they were expecting.
But as he left the kitchen, Fischer glimpsed something running out of the bedroom and into the yard. It was a coyote, and it was carrying something.
...
Fischer had enough time to see the animal had seized Eloise, an 8-year-old Chihuahua.
"The dog was screaming," he said. "It was awful."
...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
One of my Jack Russell’s is small and only weighs about 15 pounds. We have coyotes in our part of central Houston. My neighbor has seen one in my wooded back yard. This could happen here.
It isn’t going to happen in my house however!
I have a 22 lb. Jack Russell and believe me every time i take him for a walk in the woods i have a 12ga. over my shoulder, just ain’t worth taking a chance.
I ran into one on a trail about a year ago at the Westwind Barn in Los Altos Hills. He was going the opposite direction from me, maybe 30 ft. away. Scared the daylights out of me. We warily eyed each other, kept our distance, and both moved on. I was thinking “Here I am totally defenseless...no rocks or sticks nearby...what do I do now?” I have mainly kept a sharp eye out for the big cats and not expecting to see coyotes, even though the probability of spotting a coyote is far greater than seeing an elusive cat.
I was being facetious. And I wouldn’t even drop kick someone’s little yapper...though I might allude to it...
“Beautiful winter coats. Wonder if you could make a coat or jacket out of the fur.”
Yes. I’m going to make a big duster from a bunch of them. Their pelts are real nice here in the Northern Arizona during winter.
Wow that cat must be something. :-)
I’m not fond of those little purse dogs-one of my neighbors has a Yorkie that must bear a charmed life-the yappy thing escapes out the door, leashless and runs into the woods at least once a month-I can’t believe a coyote or mountain lion has not made a meal of it...
Well our Chihuahua is very smart, not a yapper and she really is a great watchdog. Nothing gets past her. But she is not able to take on the wild critters. We are thinking of getting a bodyguard for her in the form of a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Either get her a bodyguard, or get her to ask my neighbor’s Yorkie what his secret weapon is...
WE have a semi Yorkie next door named Kiki. He is a real pistol. LOL!
I’ve never seen a coyote closer than maybe 100 yards while hiking. I also keep a close lookout for mountain lions-their tracks, and for wild hogs.
One day I was hiking on a trail between a game fence and a rock face and I saw fresh mountain lion tracks-my hair stood on end. I walked backwards to the main trail swinging a big stick and singing the first song I thought of-Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap-as loud as I could-I haven’t hiked that trail alone since...
The escaping Yorkie up the road always has on either a purple or a blue striped sweater in cold weather-maybe the sweaters don’t look or smell appetizing to a predator...
I used to go out for hikes in some pretty remote areas just after dawn and at dusk. I finally had to quit as I just too creeped out by the notion of being a mountain lion meal.
My favorite time to hike is just after dawn because I usually have the trail to myself, but since I saw those tracks and felt that mountain lion watching me, I make sure to meet a neighbor on the trail-better safe than dinner...
Would a 6 AM meal be dinner for an all-night cat? Or is that breakfast?
Know what you mean about dawn...you have trails to yourself, get to see wonderful sunrises, air is fresh and clean, day hasn’t become scorching hot yet. It’s my favorite time, too, unfortunately, some of the wild parks in the San Fran area don’t open until 8 AM, so you need to camp if you want to get out early. I’d much rather spend the night in my bed and hit the road at 5 AM to be there at 6.
I guess it depends on whether the cat is working 1st or 3d shift...
I’m fortunate that the county I live in is rural, so trails are everywhere in the woods by the river and creeks-but lots of people out here besides me hike on their days off, and are out in the woods in the late morning/early afternoon-you can also get mowed down by mountain bikers on the weekends...
There is a difference between an intruder bark and a screech while in the jowls of a coyote or larger , aggressive dog , or even the claws of an owl .
I’m in Silicon Valley — most people think this is wall-to-wall people and concrete, but 10 minutes up the road I can be in remote canyons with no buildings to be seen and fifteen miles of wilderness to the ocean. It’s pretty remote and rural from here to the coast with lots of chaparral, manzanita, madrone, sage and redwoods. And lions.
Thanks for the info-I’m one of those who didn’t know there was wilderness that close to silicon valley-it sounds beautiful
This county has no industry but small businesses-mostly carpentry, other construction and cabinet makers and metal and carpentry shops-tourists in summer and snowbirds that spend the winters here, and there has been a moratorium on development to keep it that way for about 20 years-so it is just small communities and rural areas with small ranches and acreage properties like the one I live on with people who like to grow their own food, sell and barter their veggies, arts and crafts, etc at little markets. The river, woods and trails are right behind the properties on this road-about 200 yards.
There are little green meadows/clearings in woods of oak, mountain laurel and juniper, sage and persimmon-limestone bluffs, deer, hawks-and mountain lions, but not as many as where you are.
A coyote got my neighbor’s cat recently.
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