The coyote (Canis latrans) is a close relative of the wolf (Canis lupus) and the dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Coyotes live in every US state except Hawaii. It is estimated that there are between one million and ten million coyotes. Coyotes kill a lot of cats and dogs as well as livestock including 135,000 sheep per year (see this link). A lot of coyotes roam the neighborhoods in Dallas. I see them all the time and I’ve had close encounters with them while walking the dogs. Recently a two-year-old in Dallas was injured by a coyote attack (see the video below).
This means that dog owners need to pay attention to the coyotes. Don’t leave small dogs and cats outside if you don’t have a fence that coyotes cannot get through. When walking small dogs, you may want to bring maze or bear spray with you. I admit, I don’t, but it is an option worth thinking about.
Below I am including an excerpt from my book about a close coyote encounter while walking the dogs.
Our neighborhood is generously populated with coyotes as well as rabbits. Bronco (our Leonberger) used to bark at them, so they never got close to us. I assume they were afraid of him, but they certainly weren’t afraid of Daisy (Pug) or Ryu (Japanese Chin).
One day I saw a coyote coming around the corner at the end of our street as I was walking Daisy and Ryu. He saw us and proceeded straight toward us without hesitation and with no sign of fear. He wasn’t running, but coyotes have long legs, and he was sort of trotting along and moving pretty fast. I wasn’t worried for myself—an adult human can easily handle a lone coyote. I was worried for Daisy and Ryu. I didn’t want them to be the coyote’s dinner.
As the coyote came closer, I stopped and stared at him. When he was around fifteen feet away, he stopped and stared back at me. Ryu and Daisy were staring at the coyote, too. I could see that they were frightened, but they didn’t bark.
Meanwhile, I was calculating how best I could fight the animal. It wasn’t practical to lift both dogs in my arms and try to fight at the same time. So I had to let the dogs stay on the ground.
Before I could strategize further, though, the coyote continued on his way and disappeared behind some houses farther down the road.
Coyotes are pretty common almost everywhere in the United States, so if you need another reason to avoid letting your cats and small dogs run loose, remind yourself of this story.
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Finally, if you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click the image below to buy it from Amazon.com.
Leonberger Life 
12 replies on “Coyotes Dogs and Leonbergers”
Oh my goodness. That sounds so frightening. I’m glad the coyote went on his way so you didn’t have to fight. That’s good advice about small dogs.
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Thank you. Yes it was surreal. I wasn’t afraid for myself for the little dogs.
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I can’t believe the jogger woman was attacked. The coyotes in the last two places I lived were very skittish. I’m glad she survived. I hear the coyotes around here, about 1.5 hours west of you, but I’ve never seen one. I carry bear spray on my jogs, but not for coyotes, for wild boar.
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I may have mentioned this. Some years ago, our neighbors lost their dog to a coyote. They forgot their dog in the yard when they went to deliver their first child. We’ve found dog remains in our front yard. I don’t know who the owner was. I’m just glad they didn’t see their dog like that.
Because I’m generally up early, I’ve seen coyotes frequently. I stlck my nose in other people’s business when I see them walking a dog and let them know if I’ve seen a coyote—especially if they’re walking their dog off leash.
One Sunday morning during the pandemic, I went out to get the paper. It was very quiet—and I heard the howling. It was the first time I’d heard it at home. We hear (and see) them frequently camping, but that’s a different matter. Some people take their pets camping. I don’t because you just never know.
Carrying mace or bear spray when walking dogs isn’t a bad idea. I hope you never have to use it.
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I don’t think you told me before. What a story. That is so tragic. It’s a stark reminder not to leave small dogs in the yard if you don’t have a tall enough fence. I think you are being very nice warning people. The last thing you want is a coyote sprinting out and snatching your dog. They also may get a larger dog to chase them and then around the corner somewhere they have a few more coyote waiting to attack the dog.
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I didn’t realize you lived in Texas just an hour west of Fort Worth. Yeah Wild Boars are definitely very dangerous to people. Coyotes can rarely harm an adult but wild boars on the other hand…Those we don’t have in Dallas. We’ve hunted wild boars a couple of times but we did not get any.
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We have a lot of coyotes here in Southern California. I watched three chase a boy and his dog a month ago–I was too far away to help. Usually, they’re alone. This surprised me to be in the pack.
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Wow that is really scary. It must have been an awful experience for both the boy and the dog. I read somewhere that they sometimes hunt in packs and that way they can even attack larger dogs. Usually I see them alone or in pairs.
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I don’t go up on that horse trail anymore.
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I can certainly understand that
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We have many coyotes here who routinely wander by outside our (fenced) yard. The dogs usually have thoughts about this.
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Yes I can certainly image that. I am glad you have a good fence.
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