Coyotes in Northern VA

[nubonics]

Last night around midnight we heard a neighbors dog barking non stop (i don't know whose dog it was but it sounded like a small dog). I looked out the window and saw what I first thought was a large fox.

Instantly I wondered if foxes ate cats because I have a cat that runs outside at night (he is an escape artist). When I started researching, I found out that foxes will only get to be max 20lbs. So I then realized what I saw was a coyote...it was at least 40 lbs

As many of you know we recently moves to NoVA (Falls Church) in July so we really didn't know what type of wild life there was in the area. After searching coyotes in falls church va I found out that there has been a rise in the coyote population since 2004. In the neighboring town, Arlington, coyotes are slow infiltrating the area - there was recently one that was hit by a car.

ANYHOW I was freaked out all day because I worry that the coyote would catch my cat, then I worried about my 20 lb pug/Boston mix. I then started to worry about my bigger dogs (51 lbs and Curly who is 73 lbs).

I want to think that the coyote won't do anything to the bigger dogs but you never know. My husband, seeing how freaked out I was decided to get me a paintball gun (completely legal to shoot on private property here unlike actual guns or bb guns which you can't use to shoot a nuisance animal...besides that I don't want to kill the coyote, just want to scare it if it comes into the yard). I also read that wolf urine will deter coyotes...so I found some on Amazon. The reviews had me dying...

Anyhow, I just want to let any other Northern VA Bullie owners know that there are coyotes out there so make sure you supervise your pets when out doors

 

[YHSublime]

Wow, thanks for the heads up! I had no idea!

 

[Goob14]

Coyotes were everywhere in California. we lived at the base of the mountains and seeing them was a regular thing. Just seeing one or two was never a problem but neighbors said that they worked in teams to get people's dogs when they were out walking.

A woman was walking two dogs. One coyote seemingly attacked one of her dogs. But when she was trying to get the coyote off of dog 1, another coyote got dog 2 and ran off with it. The first coyote was just the distraction. It never really did any damage to dog 1 but their "plan" worked.

We would be careful with our lab. We didnt have goob back then. One large dog could probably take on one coyote but you never know if the pack is close by. I would be careful. Coyotes usually keep to themselves and run off when they see you BUT you just have to use caution at all times if you live in an area where they hunt/roam.

 

[cali baker]

I see plenty of coyotes in my neighborhood as well, some just running along the sidewalks.
And yes, there have been several reports of coyotes capturing, dragging, and killing dogs, and my neighbors have found their "outdoor" cats the victims of the coyotes as well.

My advice is to keep your cat indoors. For his safety and well being, even if he longs to go outside, do everything you can to keep him inside. Also, when you take your dogs outside in your yard, always supervise them. I've just heard too many horror stories.

 

[ddnene]

We have coyotes here in TN… and I've actually had several close encounters w/them. It was at night, and I will tell you they were more afraid of me… there were about 5 of them in my front yard, and it was SUPER foggy (I was lugging out the trash can). I also have seen several coyotes take down a deer… they run it to death, and then attack. I would HIGHLY advice keeping your cat indoors like everyone else has suggested… they will attack small dogs as well. We have a fenced backyard, and I've never seen them in our yard w/the dogs. They are afraid of humans so if you see one approaching it is probably sick and I would be extremely cautious.

I have also heard that you can put human hair in perimeters around your property… I heard this works for deer as well if they get in your garden.

 

[Canelospeeps]

I have two pugs and my bully. We go visit family in the country and there are coyotes there. They have 6 or more dogs on the property but I keep. An eye on my babies when they run on the property because coyotes will take animals down if hungry enough and my pugs are what we call gator snacks. Canelo would be dinner so while the country dogs guard the yard, they keep them away but coyotes have been seen around the outside of the property.


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[Poohusmc]

Thanks for the heads up we moved to Quantico and had no idea..I will definitely be on the lookout

 

[Davidh]

We have coyotes here too, but I have never seen any close to the house, but you can hear them at night. Keep you babies indoors at all times and when they are outside, go outside with them and you shouldn't have any problems. I had to laugh at the amazon comments, too funny.

 

[Donnam]

We have lots of coyotes in Texas--we live in a suburb of Dallas and they run around our neighborhoods at night. Occasionally I will see one in the daytime, but that's rare. They have gotten small dogs here, so people usually keep a watch out. I've seen them many times in my front yard, but they are terrified of people. If I'm looking out my front window at them, if I so much as blink they are gone! And they are usually pretty solitary. Only twice have I seen two of them together in my yard. We have a wood fence in the back, and I don't worry that they would try to get in the fence. And my dogs only go out at night to potty anyway. My niece in Houston had a chihuahua that got eaten by a coyote, but he was in a backyard that wasn't fenced.

 

[Bulldozersma]

I've seen two here in Henderson in the past week. One very early in the morning- I thought it was a dog running across the road so I actually stopped to try to help it before realizing it wasn't a pet and then once at night. I live up against the hills so I shouldn't be surprised but it still freaks me out.

 

[nubonics]

When I lived in LA my sisters neighborhood (Silver Lake) had coyotes, so we were regularly prepared for them. People would post signs about coyotes in the neighborhood so we were well prepared when we moved there.

Falls Church on the other hand is a rather residential area...I mean Silver lake is too but moving there you would hear about bears, bobcats etc so coyotes werent too unexpected. Even when I mentioned coyotes to my local NoVA friends they were all surprised that coyotes inhabited the area.

@CaliBaker @ddene our cat is definitely suppose to be an indoor cat but he makes a run for it every night after the sun sets. I swear he just has a death wish. If we let the dogs out he will try to sneak out behind them and when we come in he tries to make a mad dash outside.

We use to let the dogs run around by themselves outside until my sighting. Now I swear my husband is treating this like a zombie apocalypse practice session every night since the sighting - he will sit on the porch with a paint ball gun just waiting for a sighting. I have the wolf urin coming in the mail too. Lol

With all this preparation I just hope that is the last time I see one.

1.5 years until new orders...

 

[nubonics]

[MENTION=13366]YHSublime[/MENTION] check this article out. A coyote was hit last month in Arlington Coyote, hit by car in Arlington, is first in area since 2012 - The Washington Post

 

[Marine91]

They used to be around me but surburban growth has pretty much run them out. They were so populous that 30 years ago the county has residents shooting or trapping them to bring the population down. Now you have to go another 20 miles west of me to run in to them.

 

[ChrisRN]

I think they're on the rise everywhere. We've had them in our neighborhood and I've heard stories of small missing pets locally. They are very bold. When I was at my dad's memorial service in Phoenix, you could hear them howling at night--really creepy. One walked right through the yard in the middle of the day while we were there. They will kill small dogs and cats, so I'd be careful. I haven't seen one here, but we have bears, deer, you name it!

My husband saw a cougar early one morning about 5 miles from our house! It really freaked him out. We've been told by the DNR that they don't exist in Michigan. Bill said he was pumping gas and saw what he originally thought was a big dog, but it was too big and had a long tail and walked across the highway--like a cat. The clerk in the gas station said it wasn't the first sighting. DNR still denies they're here, but a friend in Minnesota said it is because they don't want to take it off the endangered list (?).

 

[g8erjackie]

[MENTION=8376]Canelospeeps[/MENTION] I do the same with visiting family in the country. My dad lives on several acres in Florida (I know everyone thinks of Florida as one big beach, but there is countryside also) and there is all sorts of wildlife running around. My dad's property has a large fenced in area where we let the dogs run, and we always keep an eye out, but I'm never worried about coyotes because my dad has 2 huge Great Pyerenes dogs. They love to cuddle inside, but they patrol the perimeter when outside and are known for killing coyotes that prey on livestock so Ruckus has built in body guards.
[MENTION=9956]nubonics[/MENTION] I don't think a coyote would attack a dog as big as Curly, but I'd be careful with the smaller ones and most certainly with the cat. In my experience coyotes aren't super brave, their moves are more to dart out of the shadows and grab a small animal and dart back in. Make sure your back yard is well lit and that will deter them some. With light preventing them from hiding and humans sitting on the porch, I'd be surprised if they ventured into the middle of your yard. I wonder if the city would set traps if you called and complained about multiple sitings?