Well, yeah, for small stuff my Ruger .22 lr is hard to beat. A real tack driver with a decent scope on it, even for a relatively inexperienced shooter (me). But, we are basically looking at taking down an in-between size: 30 lb. coyote (or really big raccoon) up to a 40 or 50 lb. stray dog getting into our animals.
Head shot only.
If that dog makes it home to its owner, be ready for a court date.
I don’t think you will find the Ruger PCC 9 to be a tack driver. When gun folks talk about a “varmint” rifle, they are usually talking about something more accurate than the 2 Ruger PCC 9s that I’ve seen and shot. I’m sure that group sizes would shrink if we were not in an ammo shortage and could find and try enough different loads, but that is not today or the foreseeable future.
With the PCCs and ammo that I have shot, I would not take a 100-yard shot on a coyote, simply because I could not guarantee shot placement for a humane take-down. I would limit my shots to 50 yards or maybe less. Your mileage may vary.
The PCC9 with self-defense ammo would make a great home defense weapon against “larger critters.” I would definitely use one for that purpose, when shots should be 20 yards or less. But for smaller targets at a longer distance, I’d want something else, maybe even just a .22 Magnum.