In the Company of Wolves

An article that some readers may not agree with, but I find the basis of it very true.

I never worried about coyotes before I had our Vizslas.

Now I am starting to understand the dynamics of "life in the wild" here in the suburbs east of San Francisco.

In the Company of Wolves

A friend of mine was walking her Vizslas up in the Shell Ridge open space a couple days ago. Being excellent field trial dogs, they were roaming the valleys and ridges a few hundred yards away.

My friend looked down from the ridge and saw a lone coyote charge first one dog and then turned on the next. The coyote had run from another ridge right at them. The coyote attacked with the intention of doing harm to the dogs.

One dog was slightly injured but the other needed to go to the vet for the injuries caused by the attack. $700 vet bill.

The whole time it was happening my friend was yelling at the coyote. Local coyotes have no fear of humans because they are protected and a dog is prey just like a rabbit. They are the predators and everything else is prey.

Luckily this time both dogs got away.

After reading this, my friend Christie, added her perspective:

"I have encountered coyotes many times, occasionally at Shell Ridge but more frequently at Lime Ridge. (Open spaces in the area)
Twice my dogs have been attacked there – once, I was surrounded by 3 of them, each going after one of my dogs – only by screaming and running at them was I able to chase them off long enough to get away.
That time and one other time Holly was knocked down and attacked by one of them, but fortunately she escaped with a single bite on her flank.
Coyotes often have pups in the spring and become more aggressive, and I've been told by several people at Lime Ridge their dogs have been attacked too.

One guy I encountered carries a large stick for defense."