I was just getting ready to post a question about electronic predator calls when I saw this original post. Funny that you mention coyotes and lights going out. I have a story which is almost identical, but it resulted in my dog being ripped up and me shelling out $900 to keep her alive.
A little over a year ago, we had a power outage right at dusk. My wife was in cooking dinner (gas stove) and the boys were sitting at the table playing some electronic devices of some sort. I decided to let the dog (a 18 pound rat terrier) out to run before dinner. She does not go far, but she likes to get out of the kennel after her dinner and get a good sniff in if you follow what I am saying.
Right about the time dinner was almost ready, I heard her bark rapidly right by the back slider door. I heard the barking accelerate away from the house and I could tell she was in hot pursuit. Thinking she would keep running, as she does when chasing varmints or cats, I went out the front door to call her home. I had grabbed a flashlight on the way out, and I could not see her. After calling a couple of times, I see a coyote run out of the creek bed in front of my home. Then my dog comes hobbling out with her throat fully exposed and blood dripping everywhere.
I doubled back, called to the wife to wrap the dog in a towel and apply pressure to her throat. I went for my old Mossy and collected some 00 buck. The last time I saw the coyote, it was jogging away from our house. When I went back outside to look for it, the darned thing had doubled back and was in our driveway. I try to jamb a couple of shells into the gun, it proceeds to haul a** faster than I could get loaded. I got a couple in and cycled both of them, mostly for effect but hoping to find an obliterated dog the next morning. No such luck.
This all happened with the power out. We have coyotes (and mountain lions) with some regularity here. This is the first time I have ever had a problem with my animals, though. Well, not counting the cats that have all lost their lives in combat. But cats don't count. Plus predatory birds (hawks and owls) keep those numbers thin, too.
Lastly, I never thought I would pay $900 for a dog. But dangit if it wasn't about the easiest thing to do when I saw her all ripped up and in pain. Just like a family member, I did not even contemplate the cost (and that much scratch would buy a helluva nice new .22-250 for coyote hunting!).