tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post3970646367775736101..comments2023-08-19T04:56:24.878-07:00Comments on It seemed like a good idea at the time...: (Not a) Wild Pack of Family DogsFunderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06358687366401205336noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-37667943473960570592010-01-28T17:47:41.884-08:002010-01-28T17:47:41.884-08:00I'd leave her home...she wouldn't have a c...I'd leave her home...she wouldn't have a chance against a pack. Makes me kind of glad I'm in the midwest. We have coyotes but they are much more timid, rarely seen, and when you do they are alone. You wouldn't want to go off your horse in a pack that bold either. That scares the bejeebers out of me. ~E.G.All Who Wanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15811193190492037859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-67159629519323844972010-01-27T19:02:50.567-08:002010-01-27T19:02:50.567-08:00Wow! VERY scary. I would leave her home personally...Wow! VERY scary. I would leave her home personally, but I'm not there and I don't know your dog. I did grow up in BC with coyotes though and those don't sound like the coyotes I grew up with. Def send in a report to USFW describing their behavior. Any habituated wild animal is a danger to people and domesticated animals.CheekyMarehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00185104222441240089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-26430156070981429682010-01-27T13:50:12.484-08:002010-01-27T13:50:12.484-08:00Wow. That's unnerving. With Cersei's point...Wow. That's unnerving. With Cersei's point-perfect recall, I would be SHOCKED if they actually came after her while she was near you, though. I'd be far more concerned if your dog hada tendency to want to chase the coyotes. IME, that's how they get them - lure them away with a game of chase to wear them out and meet up with a larger pack. But then, they're pretty effing smart so it's not like your Reno coyotes couldn't have come up with a different strategy.<br /><br />How big is Cersei? They often seem more intimidated by larger dogs, and may have just been scoping her out. <br /><br />If you do decide to carry a .22, may I recommend rock salt? If you do manage to hit them, they'll remember it.Ambivalent Academichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05908454781195782927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-44979130509547864692010-01-27T10:31:55.701-08:002010-01-27T10:31:55.701-08:00Scary stuff!
We get coyotes all the time where I ...Scary stuff!<br /><br />We get coyotes all the time where I board and sometimes they're in groups of two or three. I make it a point to charge them with Max- I primarily do it to desensitize him (and he seems to like chasing them).<br /><br />I have a friend who has a serious problem with wild dogs where he rides- there was even one occassion where he had to run them down to keep them from attacking (apparently his horse likes to kick out at them).<br /><br />Coyotes are one reason I don't take my dog out on the trail- he views himself as a tough guy and sometimes he doesn't listen. I don't want to take a chance.Adam Lidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12766653217930878979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-53170987299284528172010-01-27T08:33:48.756-08:002010-01-27T08:33:48.756-08:00I suggest, instead of a riding with a rifle, ride ...I suggest, instead of a riding with a rifle, ride with a container of Bear Spray instead. Quite effective and you don't have to worry about desensitizing your horse to the gun, missing the coyote or other possible problems. <br /><br />My mom carries it when she rides in the Sierras, and I've been carrying it when I trail ride because there have been some close calls with some not so nice loose dogs.<br /><br />http://www.udap.com/Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16283334035989645291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-18803038919444829022010-01-27T05:09:08.719-08:002010-01-27T05:09:08.719-08:00Yeesh that is scary! How big are our coyotes out t...Yeesh that is scary! How big are our coyotes out there? Ours here are sort of large fox size, but I hear further north they're like German Shephard size. Which is terrifying. Then again, up north they also have wolves and bears so it probably pays to be bigger. Do you get mountain lions too?Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15902291220984883182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-52361994102645105632010-01-26T18:28:15.802-08:002010-01-26T18:28:15.802-08:00wow! i always HEAR lots of coyotes in packs (and t...wow! i always HEAR lots of coyotes in packs (and there seems to be a LOT of them around here this winter), but I never SEE more than 2 together. A coyote once ran right in front of me riding my horse on the trail - he was chasing a rabbit (which streaked in front of first) and we startled <i>him</i>. My horse just looked at both with interest. I think I might've been a bit nervous this close to a bunch of coyotes!<br /> - <a href="http://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">The Equestrian Vagabond</a>The Equestrian Vagabondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15600011873327347121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-66445301931858796012010-01-26T18:21:27.033-08:002010-01-26T18:21:27.033-08:00dp - I'll definitely consider leaving Cers at ...dp - I'll definitely consider leaving Cers at home. I don't know if I'll ever have the balls to shoot OFF of Dixie. Getting her used to a .22 (maybe with subsonic rounds?) being fired from the ground beside her would be much, much easier. <br /><br />AareneX - they were definitely absolutely not dogs. Possibly coydogs, I don't know for sure what they look like when they hybridize. They were small, slender, grey and tan beasties with prick ears, huge tails, and yellow eyes. And they were completely unafraid. I yelled when I charged them, in the Big Bad Voice that scatters dog packs, and they didn't budge. <br /><br />They do take domestic animals in that area quite often - outdoor cats have a suicidally short lifespan, and yard dogs that don't have tall kennels disappear.Funderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358687366401205336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-35839171753507044482010-01-26T17:24:45.542-08:002010-01-26T17:24:45.542-08:00Our Swampish coyotes are significantly smaller tha...Our Swampish coyotes are significantly smaller than those you see in Nevada, and ours are also much less "organized" than the group you describe. I rarely see more than two coyotes, unless it's a mum with young pups. <br /><br />Are you sure that you are seeing <i> coyotes </i>? Dogs and coyote/dog hybrids are much more likely to form packs, and these groups can be truly dangerous because they aren't shy of humans as a regular coyote will be. <br /><br />If a real coyote is aggressive to humans or medium-to-large size dogs, it's usually either starving or diseased. <br /><br />I recommend that you check with local wildlife authorities and tell them what you see and where you see the groups. They will probably be able to give you good advice.AareneXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17569818745110332355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773599297895528113.post-79139847627938008192010-01-26T16:56:32.426-08:002010-01-26T16:56:32.426-08:00Gah...that's scary and a big risk, IMO. My do...Gah...that's scary and a big risk, IMO. My dogs have fantastic recall too, about 99% of the time. In your shoes I'd start leaving Cersei behind, at least until the weather gets better and the coyotes have more hunting opportunities. You don't want to watch your dog get taken down, you don't want to get in the middle of your dog getting taken down, and you don't want to risk things going awry for you on horseback with an unpredictable mare not sensitized to gunshots. I'd leave Cersei at home for the rest of the winter, start getting Dixie used to a rifle, and look forward to riding out with both next year.Sarah Henderson, BCCDChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05506349125752830559noreply@blogger.com