I hadn’t been home from work long before I had to pay a visit to the captain’s chair tonight, and as is often the case when I have most of the house to myself, I left the door open, and again, as usual, Xena parked her big fuzzy butt just outside the bathroom door and laid only her chin on the tile, her eyes big and sleepy.
Shortly after 3:00am, I began hearing a strange noise. At first I thought it was the wind, but we weren’t due for the kind of wind that makes high-pitched shrieks of its own accord tonight. Then I saw Xena perk up and growl toward the east side of the house. And the sounds became louder, and seemed to cross from the east to the west, seemingly just on the other side of the exterior wall facing south. At this point, due in no small part to being in something that could reasonably be described as a vulnerable position, I was getting distinctly unnerved by the whole thing. It was the sound of dogs. A lot of dogs. An awful lot of awfully noisy dogs.
Coyotes!
Needless to say, I didn’t show my face, and I sure as hell didn’t let Xena out the door, which she was practically bucking to do. I have no doubt that my dog would do anything to protect my home, but I value her enough as a companion to rein her in when stuff like this happens. I’ve heard mountain lions screeching before, an equally if not more unnerving auditory experience that sounds somewhat like what I imagine one would hear if a woman was being brutally murdered nearby, and this experience was right up there with that. Ah, life in the country.
The first mountain lion screech of the season can’t be far off…
I see coyotes at least a couple times a year up in Embudo canyon where I go hiking and walking. In the evening, when dusk nears, you can hear them yipping and howling. The canyon is right on the edge of town and a lot of people go into the area for exercise. As a result the coyotes know well enough to stay clear of people. However, if you visit the area you will also see lots of posters for lost pets. There have been several news stories of coyotes jumping into peoples yards and snatching up pets. Coyotes may be wary of humans but they find their pets delicious. Parents of small children in the area are alarmed but so far, no humans – adult or child – have been harmed by coyotes. I am wary of coyotes whenever I see them but I’ve never been alarmed. I think they are just as wary of me – when they see me they turn away.
I see all sorts of jack rabbits in the canyon which is surprising coinsidering the presence of coyotes. I guess the rabbits are just as good at avoiding the coyotes as the roadrunners (I see roadrunners regularly in the mesa).
I heard from somewhere that coyotes are present in every state of the union. They are like rats – they’re everywhere.
Despite all of this I consider roving packs of stray dogs more dangerous than coyotes. One of my sister’s cats was killed by stray dogs and there have been news reports of stray dogs attacking peoples pets.
I don’t know the point of my comments. I guess I just wanted to blurt out my thoughts on the subject. 🙂
This would’ve been quite a bit more alarming if we had livestock on our property (which is something we’re hoping to do soon, trying to get our horses on our own land). But even with all animals present and accounted for, it was pretty disquieting.
I see coyotes at least a couple times a year up in Embudo canyon where I go hiking and walking. In the evening, when dusk nears, you can hear them yipping and howling. The canyon is right on the edge of town and a lot of people go into the area for exercise. As a result the coyotes know well enough to stay clear of people. However, if you visit the area you will also see lots of posters for lost pets. There have been several news stories of coyotes jumping into peoples yards and snatching up pets. Coyotes may be wary of humans but they find their pets delicious. Parents of small children in the area are alarmed but so far, no humans – adult or child – have been harmed by coyotes. I am wary of coyotes whenever I see them but I’ve never been alarmed. I think they are just as wary of me – when they see me they turn away.
I see all sorts of jack rabbits in the canyon which is surprising coinsidering the presence of coyotes. I guess the rabbits are just as good at avoiding the coyotes as the roadrunners (I see roadrunners regularly in the mesa).
I heard from somewhere that coyotes are present in every state of the union. They are like rats – they’re everywhere.
Despite all of this I consider roving packs of stray dogs more dangerous than coyotes. One of my sister’s cats was killed by stray dogs and there have been news reports of stray dogs attacking peoples pets.
I don’t know the point of my comments. I guess I just wanted to blurt out my thoughts on the subject. 🙂
This would’ve been quite a bit more alarming if we had livestock on our property (which is something we’re hoping to do soon, trying to get our horses on our own land). But even with all animals present and accounted for, it was pretty disquieting.