[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

I do the same with our 17 year old Poodle mix. He has never had a leash as the first 14 years he has been contained in a fenced back yard. I also will stand even closer now than in the past. A coyote can slip out of the dark, grab a pet and be gone in just a few seconds. But even with that, I must think of the mental status of our little guy as a leash at this late date would confuse him so much it may be as dangerous to his health as the Coyote.

And what do you think a coyote attack would do to his mental health?

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

Coyote attacks on adult humans is very very rare, but be sure, they will take a small child or pet when the opportunity come up. I have attached a link to an accurate assessment of these animals.

Coyote Attacks On People in the U.S. and Canada

I do agree with you, key word here is rare. If walking my dog I'd make sure it was on a short leash just in case a coyote was lurking around . I know there are coyotes in Sanabel , where I live

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by buggyone

"However- I will be keeping a close eye on my Yorkie and Maltese--I do let them out in our yard (newest Gilchrist section) off a leash-but they never go more than about 10 feet from me on my own property."

Definitely a bad idea. First, it is against Villages rules to have a dog off a leash (yes, exceptions being in a CYV or a yard with invisible fence), and second that a coyote (especially in a new area) can run in and snatch one before you could even know what happened.

And sadly, in the past small dogs have been snatched so quickly that their owners were powerless. Please be careful.

[Hopeful2]

Kindly clarify if you can .... Has it been confirmed that small dogs in The Villages have been attacked by coyotes.. . or just that dogs have been attacked by coyotes (in other places)?
I'm concerned about my small dog, although he never goes outside without a leash.

Thank you!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Hopeful2

Kindly clarify if you can .... Has it been confirmed that small dogs in The Villages have been attacked by coyotes.. . or just that dogs have been attacked by coyotes (in other places)?
I'm concerned about my small dog, although he never goes outside without a leash. Thank you!

There was a reported incident of an unleashed dog being grabbed by a coyote. I think it was a little Maltese. We were told that even though the owner was handy, she couldn't react quickly enough. I don't think anyone would make up such a horrible story.

I have seen coyotes in back of our TV house more than once. Coyotes anywhere will grab small pets if they're hungry. I'd suggest it would be wise to never tie a pet outside unless you're close by.

[Mimivillager]

There was a nanny goat on the farm behind us in Amelia and the coyote got her. We always enjoyed watching her. We here them howling at night.

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by BobnBev

And what do you think a coyote attack would do to his mental health?

Nothing, as he would die quickly where the leash would cause confusion bringing on a slow but definite passing due to severe anxiety and depression.

[gomoho]

Please stop beating up people that love their dogs and make decisions they feel best for them even if you disagree. And is is not against the law to have your dog off leash in their own yard. Outside the yard is a different story.

We all have to make choices based on what we think is best - fine if you choose to do something differently - to each his own as long as it's not affecting you.

[TVMayor]

Coyote kills Chihuahua as owner walks dog

Every morning before the sun rose, Cecilia Lincoln took her male Chihuahua, Zuki, for a stroll around their yard in WillowWood, a neighborhood in southwest Orange County.

The little dog rarely strayed beyond reach, so Lincoln didn't use a leash. That was never a problem until Sunday morning, when a coyote bolted from the shadows, snatched Zuki in its jaws and took off like lightning.

"It really hurt. It's like losing a child," Lincoln said Tuesday night, still shaken by the fatal attack.

It was the latest in a series of coyote attacks in southwest Orange, where the usually reticent animals have become increasingly brazen. Long considered a nuisance in Central Florida because they rummage through trash cans, stalk cats and yip and howl after dark, coyotes are more troublesome in neighborhoods with woodlands and green space, according to wildlife experts.

The state Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission organized an informational meeting in January for concerned residents of Turnburry Woods and Torey Pines. Some coyotes traipsed into back yards to kill dogs; others were suspected in the disappearances of cats.

An Ocoee neighborhood hired trappers to kill coyotes after a dog was taken from a backyard on Christmas.

The attack on 15-year-old Zuki, which was reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was typical of coyotes, which are opportunistic hunters, said Stan Gehrt, a wildlife ecologist at Ohio State University who has tracked coyotes in the Chicago area for more than a decade.

The animals tend to be more aggressive in January during mating season and in late April and early May, when most litters are born, Gehrt said. The coyote may have seen the Chihuahua either as food or a threat to a new litter, he said.

Judy Kaufman, who lives in the neighborhood, thinks she has seen the suspect animal: a lean, grayish canine with orange eyes. The unsettling news convinced her not to walk her pugs, Nellie and Winnie, after dusk anymore.

"The girls and I are home before dark now," she said.

Kit Zayas wonders whether a coyote snatched Diva, her 10-year-old jet-black cat. The feline princess, whose throne was a blanket on the back of a leather couch in Zayas' living room, went missing about a week ago.

"She's never, ever been gone at night," Zayas said.

Because coyotes are often more active at night, the wildlife commission advises against letting small pets roam or walking them at night in an area where coyotes have been seen or where the stealthy hunters could be hiding, said agency spokeswoman Joy Hill.

Coyote experts say the animals are generally skittish and easy to scare, instinctively fearing humans.

The animals often retreat when confronted. But they can lose their fear if they find food.

Gehrt encouraged residents who encounter a coyote to act aggressively by making noise, shouting, waving arms or stepping toward them.

"It should run," he said. "If it doesn't, you should report that to authorities."

In the attack on the Chihuahua, the coyote showed no fear, according to the commission report.

The neighborhood's homeowners association is investigating strategies to prevent future attacks, including trapping, said Jennifer White, community manager.

"We're working on it," said White, who alerted residents though the association's message board.

Lincoln said she is taking extra care with her other dog, Henry. She has given up walking the pug in the dark.

"I think he was stalking," she said of the coyote, pointing out that she found what she believes were coyote paw prints nearby. "I'm afraid he'll come back for more."

Coyote kills Chihuahua; Coyote kills Chihuahua while owner walks it - OrlandoSentinel.com

[eremite06]

I saw one just a half hour ago in Lynnhaven. Don't let Fluffy out at night.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

This is VERY scary to me, and I have very large dogs. I fear I'll be walking my dogs and encounter a coyote and my dogs will get crazy and something will happen. I don't know what they would do if they encountered one. I'm not sure if a coyote would approach us or not, given that the dogs are larger than they are but it is worrysome that my normally extremely well behaved and under control dogs could feel we are threatened and lunge or worse and have a run in with them or worse. Do they only come out after dark? I can't picture my dogs feeling we were in danger and standing around just looking at a coyote and doing it calmly. Their ancestry IS wolfhunting. One more thing for an already easily worried person to worry about! This is as scary for me as for you little dog owners.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by lovsthosebigdogs

This is VERY scary to me, and I have very large dogs. I fear I'll be walking my dogs and encounter a coyote and my dogs will get crazy and something will happen. I don't know what they would do if they encountered one. I'm not sure if a coyote would approach us or not, given that the dogs are larger than they are but it is worrysome that my normally extremely well behaved and under control dogs could feel we are threatened and lunge or worse and have a run in with them or worse. Do they only come out after dark? I can't picture my dogs feeling we were in danger and standing around just looking at a coyote and doing it calmly. Their ancestry IS wolfhunting. One more thing for an already easily worried person to worry about! This is as scary for me as for you little dog owners.

Don't be scared. Coyotes are definitely around, but they normally avoid people. (I'm not a coyote expert, but I did live in a rural area for many years with lots of coyotes around). They aren't out in packs, roaming the streets in The Villages. People see them occasionally ... often they are on golf courses or environmental areas. I saw one in the early morning on the golf course in back of our house. He was running ... I assume back to his den. Of course I would never let my dogs outside unsupervised, even though we have invisible fencing.

I don't worry about walking my dogs on the street at night. The streets are well lighted. I wouldn't walk my dogs in dark areas or around water. But that's because I'm more scared of gators than coyotes.

[TexaninVA]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

Just took my dog out to the front yard to P as usual this time of morning. A full grown healthy coyote was across the street between two of my neighbors houses approx 100 feet away. He walked about 5 feet forward into the yard between the two and into better light and I was sure then it was not a dog, but a full grown coyote, so I picked my 6 lbs dog up. He then walked across the yard right in front of that house and between that and the next house to my right and off into the darkness at a walk. He did not appear to look directly at me, but I have no doubt he knew we were there. I have been around them all my life, but that was the first time so close without the coyote being startled away.

This solution is not recommended for a highly populated area like TV, but it did take care of the problem in a situation similar to yours. Good thing you got your dog out of there in one piece.

Texas Gov. Perry fatally shoots coyote

[JP]

My youngest was sitting on our front porch in the village of St. James about 2 a.m. when a coyote walked by about 3 feet away from him. He said it scared the heck out of him. He didn't know if he should challenge it or just sit still. He ended up just sitting still and it walked by probably not even realizing he was sitting there but still, that was a close encounter.

I've never heard of a coyote attaching a human but I think a smaller dog would look a lot like a rabbit or squirrel and mostly an easy dinner.

Where I live up north, I frequently hear them pack howling and no matter how well protected I am in terms of weapons or buildings, it always sends a chill down my spine. It must be an old behavioral response from when we were roaming the plains!

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

Coyotes are fearful of humans and I have never heard of one attacking an adult human anywhere, ever. They are very opportunistic and nervous but will dash up close to a human to carry off a small pet. Coyotes in The Villages are less likely to be afraid of humans than those is more wild and remote areas, but still it would be very unlikely to attack an adult.

I just googled , have humans ever been attacked by coyotes , and info came up that there have been attacks. It doesn't happen that often but it can. As humans invade their territory they become less fearful of them. I don't know how to post the links to the articles but it's easy enough to find the info on the internet. If I see one I will retreat the other way.