Coyote Entered Back Yard
Lots of coyote stuff has happened in the past week (relatively speaking). First Colleen saw one frolicking with a stray lap dog, then we heard two group howl sessions before dark. The pre-darkness howling was a first for us.
The most significant coyote encounter happened yesterday. It was a gorgeous day. Warm, sunny and clear. I was up on a ladder painting the back of our house. Our six month old son was in his stroller under a nearby shade tree and Elke, our dog, was dozing in the sun about ten feet away from him. My wife came out the back door and exclaimed something about a coyote. It was not unusual to see a coyote passing through the outskirts of our yard so I was not surprised and hurried down the ladder to see it.
What I saw shocked me. It was making a bee-line for our dog. My wife yelled at it and it slightly changed direction and trotted towards the tree line. It had progressed to within twenty feet of Elke and wasn't very afraid of any of us. Elke thought she was the one being yelled at and was so confused that she never even saw the coyote.
Not a cause for hysteria, but definitely an eye-opener. The coyotes have been elevated from 'Neat-O' to 'Potential Threat' status in our household.