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Broward County Urban Coyotes Aka Why Some People Avoid My Dog


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Ahhhh! I stumbled upon two online news articles from last year announcing sightings of coyotes in different cities in the county where I live.

 

https://wsvn.com/news/local/coyote-sightings-raise-concerns-in-broward-cities/

 

https://www.local10.com/news/florida/deerfield-beach/coyotes-leave-their-mark-in-broward-county-neighborhoods

 

Some people (usually in pet stores) go way out of their way :blink: (she's on leash & behaving).

There are other people that just love her, including kids.

 

I always wondered why some people veer away and make a wide path between us & them, now I think I get it! -_-

:wacko:

 

The Coyotes that they have taken pictures of look a little different than the northern coyotes that most people see ......

Deerfield Beach Coyotes Mar 2017.JPGDB Coyotes May 2017.JPG

 

I can see why some people may mistake her, especially if they have just seen the news and not a close up sighting: 20180127 winter look.jpg

 

But REALLY NOW, Would a Coyote take care of me like my Tayamni does?

20171024 cuddle time.jpg

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People react the same way to Kaposia, and she's chocolate brown. Those tan/buff coyote pictures sure are different than anything I've seen here in Illinois. If you do a search from Bing on eastern red wolves the photos under Bing images are very interesting too. Apparently with the availability of genetic testing it's been discovered that eastern red wolves are crossed with domestic dogs, which may get them booted off the protected/endangered list. The feature that strikes me as defining is when you see a coyote or wolf in profile, they've got a much flatter line from nose to top of head than a dog. There's less of a vertical stop between the eyes.

Edited by LakeGirl
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it happens to us too they think he's part coyote...it probably doesn't help that he drops down and stalk walks towards people... on a leash ...sheesh

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It isn't unusual for me to overhear people talking about my dogs and saying Cake is a coyote. I always engage these folks directly with excuse me but this is a dog and I have the pedigree to prove it. I think there are some distinct differences, like the white around the lips, black noses & tail tips, stockier cylindrical bodies and different back leg assembly. I think its the fault of the popularity of wolf hybrids because honestly my whole life I can't think of ever running into someone walking a coyote.

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Rune gets that quite a bit too. Once I had a hunter emerge out of the woods on a walk and tell me he shot a coyote in that exact place a year prior that looked exactly like him.

 

I can see where people get confused, if you've ever seen a coyote in its summer coat the general lankiness and body shape is quite similar to our dogs. And Rune's got the sable coloration, black tipped tail, etc., but his face is very much dog!

 

Here's a fun picture of Rune hanging out with an actual honest to goodness coyote who belongs to some friends of mine (she's very young in this pic, only about the size of a fox). I always joke that Rune has 'coyote ankles' because, well, look at them! :lol:

runethicket.jpg

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Ah well. There have been plenty of people over the years that have insisted each of my GSDs were wolves because sable and black coats throw people off. I think the differences are as a bee is to a yellow jacket.

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Woodrat: Love that pic! Hey, does that Coyote want to join your sled team????

Tayamni has those legs and ankles too!

 

 

ALL: I was SHOCKED at the recent pics of the Coyotes in Broward County. They don't look like their Northern Cousins that I HAVE seen in person.

Some anyway. Then one pic looks more like an Eastern "Red" wolf (although not red).

 

I looked up on a FL Wildlife site and it stated Coyotes have been spotted in Florida since early 1970's (referenced '72), and that they are smaller than their Northern cousins and only 15-25 lbs.

I think someone has their fox and coyote mixed up??????? no pictures on that page ......

 

 

Sherab: Coyote on a leash! funny!

 

 

Who said it?

The AI Dog skull brow / face shape is VERY different from coyote, even wolf. I agree.

 

I just thought this was interesting. Broward Wildlife Officers are trying to teach people how to live alongside Coyotes - this was reported about people calling in to rid the areas of coyotes.

I also can't believe that the southern coyotes are smaller than Coffey is (he's our small AI Dog, he not even 2 ft tall and finally weighs 39.6 lbs!!!! I think that's full grown because he's over 2.5 YRS old)

 

If I start hanging around Golf Courses - maybe I'll see one :P

 

 

 

 

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We see a lot of Coyotes around here, in the fields. Beautiful, dynamic creatures. They mostly eat mice, moles and rabbits. The only reason to shoot them is you are an idiot.

 

Yes, their faces are much more narrow, and definitely not our dogs. Their bodies do look very similar, so watch out for idiots shooting from a distance.

 

A couple years back there was a big lamb kill. They tried to blame coyotes and cougars, but it turned out to be family dogs, let out at night, that packed up and just killed things. They didn't eat them. Just killed them. That should have been a clue.

 

It breaks your heart.

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Somebody needs to tell Rune he's not a 'yote :lol:

 

runeyotebounce.jpg

 

In all seriousness though, I am very careful about Rune in particular because he IS coyote colored from a distance and these dogs move a bit more 'wild' than your average dog. Both of my dogs normally wear bells when we're in the woods as well as orange during hunting season - really can't be too careful, it only takes one lapse in judgement on the hunter's part.

 

Our coyotes here are much larger than the western ones, have been shown to have wolf DNA from passing through Canada before making their way down to New England. Based off the local packs' stools they're easily as big as my dogs, if not larger. We've never had a run in with them, but we know we share all the same stomping grounds. Rune's footprints are nearly indistinguishable from theirs.

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Stunningly beautiful photo! These dogs do move like coyotes with their long legged lope. It's beautiful, and there's nothing so awesome as watching them run. Kaposia does the "pounce" even when we are playing in the house. She pounces on her toys. Too bad we need to worry and take such precautions. Is it even legal to shoot coyotes? I know, it doesn't seem to matter if you live really rural where there are few or no witnesses. It just seems idiotic to shoot them.

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Woodrat sounds like you have the coywolves. There was a good documentary I think on PBS. They are also here in Michigan. I think we have some because I've seen one frequently in the day on the river bank and in my yard. Big. Tree trunk legs compared to the coyotes that are all coyote. I think that's why the Michigan DNR is very slow to confirm wolves in the lower P even though mountain lions have made an acknowledged comeback and there are plenty just across the Mackinaw straight which freezes a nice bridge many years.

 

I don't mind the folk that ask me directly about my dogs. It's the ones that point and speak loudly of their disapproval. I find that passive aggressive and it activates my inner Kraken.

Edited by Sherab
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IMG_8267.JPG I got a similar shot of Misha doing a pounce as well. In the same field on the same day, we had a run in with a coyote which watched us and left after we started playing fetch.

 

Fortunately, her coat color usually makes people think dog first. Regardless, there have always been remarks about how she looks 'wild' or similar to a coyote. We get more questions if she's a basenji or not. Though, in a group of dogs, Misha does look the most wild, even next to huskies.

 

I want to say it is legal to shoot coyotes, at least in Oregon, but I might be mistaken. My grandparents have a bobcat and coyote skin that they had shot a long while ago.

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I've never gotten a shot of Waki doing the pounce. He is a holy terror though. He went for a walk with Scott and Fen out in a field this week end and brought up a large grey rodent (yes he was on lead because of the deer). Still got it @ 6 years :). He may look incompetent with his wee short legs but I really think he could keep himself independently fed. fullsizeoutput_253a.jpeg

 

Fen pounces. I don't recall any of our previous 5 GSDs doing a proper pounce. I think it's the AID influence.

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I have made a point to introduce Mo to all of our country rancher/farmer neighbors so they know to look for a collar before they shoot. It would be difficult to tell the difference between Mo and a coyote running across a field.

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I get that too. "Is that a coyote?" And out of the mouth of a 10-year-old boy, "What the heck is that?" Noquisi's legs are very long and he also stalks. When he sees someone, he lies down and squishes himself as close to the ground as he can get. In tall grass, he does look like a coyote crouched down. I'm getting to the point where I think I'm going to make business cards with learning info on them. lol I also walked the neighborhood with him getting him some good exposure so he doesn't end up shot if he gets away. He also has a lot of bling on his red collar.

 

Here's a link with pictures of different types of coyotes. I'm used to seeing coyotes in Southern California. Haven't seen one yet in Northern Illinois.

 

http://animals.mom.me/what-are-the-different-types-of-coyotes-7589953.html

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I absolutely LOVE those "pouncing" pics!!!!!!!

 

Sherab, we heard coyotes on the farm when I was growing up and saw tracks in the winter in the outer fields on the farm.

I was just pondering why they never came close to the barn .... oh the farm dogs on leads at different parts of the main farm!!!! and guess what! Mainly they were GSD's!!!!!!

 

Then I remembered your posts how the Coyote's would come close to your house until you got Fenris! HMMMMMM

 

vlkea01: that was a neat link & pics. Didn't know about subspecies. The pics of the Broward coyotes have a similar face to the Eastern Coyote. Thanks for sharing!

 

The coyotes (when seen) around North Brandford / Wallingford, CT didn't look like the Eastern Coyote pic and looked more like the Western Coyotes in that shared article.

So I looked for a pic of coyotes in CT. I came across this link: http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=325992

Western Coyotes migrated East (in the Northeast) and they were Western Coyotes when they started - LOL!

 

Woodrat & Sherab you two are right on!!!!!: Interesting Facts (from Connecticut article)

Eastern coyotes are generally larger in size than their western counterparts. Recent genetic research has attributed the eastern coyote's larger size to interbreeding with Canadian gray wolves.

 

vlkea01: Tayamni "stalks" also! I know what you mean about the tall grass. I imagine Tayamni there, in Plains grass, stalking from a down position - flat and then slowly doing her crouch / stalk moving forward. She does this in the dog park and thinks she is invisible.

 

I don't picture her as a Coyote but in a pack of AI Dogs, herding Deer or Elk or cutting one out for a hunter to take. Maybe help drive a herd of Buffalo off a cliff before horses were here???? I won't hope she knows enough to stop and not go over the cliff. Yes, I have a good imagination sometimes :D

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