The Coyotes Get Real

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This coyote stuff has gotten real! Stories abound of dogs and children approached by coyotes in our otherwise sanitized neighborhood.

The Irvine Police posted this on Facebook:

Here’s a great story that you may not know about our Employee of the Quarter, Animal Services Officer Al Gonzalez. In late September, ASO Gonzalez was patrolling in the Portola area of Irvine in response to increased coyote activity in the neighborhoods. Irvine Police DepartmentWhile out in the area, he observed a small crowd of visibly upset people. As he scanned the area, he observed a coyote running toward nearby brush, carrying a small pet dog in its mouth. The coyote had grabbed the small dog while the pet was being walked on a leash by his 12-year-old owner.

ASO Gonzalez sprang into action. He quickly positioned himself and used a paintball marker to haze the coyote before it reached the bushes. The paintball markers can be used by law enforcement to haze and sting coyotes without causing them any permanent injury or harm. ASO Gonzalez startled the coyote with the paintball enough to cause the animal to drop the dog from its mouth and leave the area. ASO Gonzalez then hurried to the small dog, which appeared to be gravely injured, and rushed him to a veterinarian.

The story goes on to say the dog was treated by a vet and will recover.

When dogs are walked in Portola Springs they are accompanied by armed guards. We watched one guy with a baseball bat and a few others with walking sticks. Helaine and I are carrying a seven iron.

coyoteAt 7:30pm tonight, a coyote came up behind me and my 14-lb dachshund as we were leaving Discovery Park (Bridgetrail and Pathway) in the Casero neighborhood. A neighbor drove up right after the incident and said he thought he saw a coyote near us. Irvine PD was called.

That’s one of our neighbors. They were thirty seconds from us. She snapped this photo. Nice of the coyote to stay off the grass.

We see the two Irvine Police Animal Control Units a lot. Their mission is to haze and scare the coyotes with paintball guns. I think that time has passed. We need them trapped and transported out.

I apologize to the coyotes. I understand I moved you off your land. California is full of wide open spaces for you to live happily and not see Doppler as a tasty snack.

5 thoughts on “The Coyotes Get Real”

  1. Brazen creatures, aren’t they. I wonder how that poor 12 yr. old is—probably not to eager to walk the dog anymore. What time of day are you seeing them–it looks pretty light out, yet.
    There have been recent sightings back here, also (CT), but no one has reported seeing them as close as you have described.
    Take care & stay watchful.

  2. We have had numerous issues here in Old Saybrook to Geoff. I have to take my dogs out very early and of course at night. I am always armed with a BB pistol now!

  3. Addenum to last night’s post—-took my cairn terrier out around 10 this past evening–always on a leash. He didn’t show usual interest in going up the road, so we just stayed in the driveway and on our lawn.After getting his stuff done, he became interested in looking up the road–so I looked too. Then I caught the movement as ms Coyote crossed our street in the intersection of what should be a 4 way stop, but isn’t. It glanced our way as my dog lurched–Good I wasn’t in the midst of “picking up”. Luckily, we weren’t interesting enough, and it continued on its way. Guess I won’t be walking to the corner in the dark, for a while. That was close enough for me!–about 100ft of grass between us and it.
    By the way, I hope this isn’t a repeat as my internet seized when I tried to submit last one.

  4. Although the Coyotes can be a problem in many areas, they are often not nearly has large and aggressive as Bobcats (to say nothing of how much bigger teeth Bobcats have).

    I lived in Connecticut and Maryland for decades, and never knew there were Bobcats on the East Coast. I knew Florida has Panthers deep in the Everglades, which can reach 120 lbs, but never knew there were other members of the cat family along the East Coast. Then in Groton, CT (of all places) I was at a party and near dusk went near the edge of the forest and heard a hissing/growling…and then saw this Bobcat 10 feet from me. It was truly intimidating

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