Coyotes are not after you...........but they are after dogs(competitors) and cats(foodstuff) when they live in natural areas adjacent to housing developments.........Especially during early Summer with a gaggle of pups to feed, Coyotes become particularly territorial as it relates to dogs and will take a small dog right off of your leash.......Family units(alpha male, female and year old family members can and have attacked bigger dogs as well under certain situations..........As our friends at PROJECT COYOTE reiterate again and again, NEVER FEED COYOTES!!!!!!!!!!---THE USUAL CAUSE OF THEM BECOMING HABITUATED TO HUMANS AND GETTING INTO TROUBLE WITH PETS AND YOUNGSTERS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and haze, haze, haze Coyotes when you see them............You do not want them thinking that you are not a threat to them............I also jog with a wiffle ball bat as another weapon in keeping Coyotes on their guard against us humans..........A scared Coyote is one that will live out its years..........A habituated Coyote is likely to be trapped and shot by Animal Control--Keep our Coyotes and pets alive by following the rules below

Keep Your Pets Safe From Coyotes

Coyotes are making their way into more urban areas - Animal Samaritans offers tips to keep your pets safe.

ByPatch.com staff

Credit Courtesy Project Coyote

Summer is officially here, and summer heat and dryness means less food and water for our desert's predatory animals. Not surprisingly, we often see more coyotes in our parks, neighborhoods, backyards, and golf courses this time of year.

It's not that coyotes crave schnauzers and calicos; it's that they're hungry and resourceful and pets are a plentiful food source. What's worse, by giving our dogs and cats a safe, stress-free life, we have somewhat desensitized them to being natural prey. In short, our pets are less attuned than non-domesticated animals to the dangers lurking in the bushes.

What's their best line of defense against coyotes? Us. By following a few precautionary tips from Animal Samaritans this summer, we can almost guarantee our pets will be safe from coyotes:

1. Never feed a coyote. It's better to keep coyotes scared and away from you than to befriend them. Feeding coyotes won't keep them from stalking your pets; on the contrary, it can give coyotes the bravado to boldly go where they haven't gone before--like into your backyard or through the doggy door.
2. Don't leave pet food in the yard. If coyotes smell and discover your pets' food bowls, they'll help themselves and be back for more. Instead, feed your dogs and cats inside. Also, keep fallen fruit (like tangerines and grapefruit) off the ground and out of the yard, as it can also attract resourceful predators. Finally, keep a tight lid on your trash cans, and never leave trash bags accessible to four-legged scavengers.
3. Keep your pets indoors from dusk to dawn. If your pets need to go outside for exercise and potty breaks in the evenings, keep them on a leash. Cat owners, if your kitty won't wear a harness, (and most cat owners haven't leash trained their cats) keep her close by. Coyotes are much faster than we are, even while running with prey in their mouths.
4. Enclose your back yard with a wall or fence. Make it at least six feet high, and because coyotes instinctively dig, install a vinyl lattice or chicken wire 2 to 3 feet underground. This should stop a determined coyote from tunneling in.
5. If you walk your pets at night, keep them on a leash. This is especially important if you walk them along golf courses and desert chaparral.
6. Finally, to help guard your smaller pets adopt a large dog from a local animal shelter, like a German shepherd, Rottweiler, or mastiff. Okay, so this might be a blatant plea to adopt from a local animal shelter--but the big ones will protect the little ones!