Walking the dog, and stray dog/coyote attack

Coyote attacks in the Denver metro area are a hot topic as of late as there have been a number of attacks including dogs being snatched right off their leash! I've heard several interviews on local talk radio and the response from DOW / LEO has been you cannot legally shoot the coyote inside the city limits. As I understand it, this is consistent for Denver and the surrounding suburbs, love to hear if anyone knows otherwise.

We routinely walk our dogs at a local dog park in Littleton, CO and have heard of several recent Coyote sightings from other folks at the park, no attacks here .. yet. This park happens to be within a State Park and portions are also "owned" by the Army Corp of Engineers. The bottom line from what I've been told .. don't even think about pulling your CCW or even so much as an Airsoft pistol (not that I think it would even slow a Coyote down if it was looking to eat). I'm wondering if anyone knows the local laws on Pepper Spray? Less than ideal of course ... but better than looking for a rock in a hurry.

As much as I love my dogs, I worry more when my 3 year old is with me ....
 
Chui said:
Yep. I'm very well aware. This is one of several reasons I advocate the working strain Pit Bulldog, American Bulldog, Airedale, Catahoula, Ridgeback breeds... ASSUMING one knows what the Hades these breeds are/for and what they (the owner) is doing.

To me a dog is a pet and a member of the family. However, he is also the FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE and is expendable under certain circumstances. Combating wildlife is one in which I demand that the dog IS PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF INTERCEPTING HARD! If one's breed of choice is not then stay out of the woods and nowadays out of the suburbs.
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The wife and I were out walking our 2 6-month old German Shepherd/Catahoula mix puppies yesterday evening--a male and a female at 60 lbs and 50 lbs respectively (yes...yes...they're big, but they're still puppies). We were going along our normal route when I glanced over into a neighbor's backyard to see a large adult dog (some breed of bulldog...I'm not sure which) making a beeline to our position in what appeared to be an aggressive manner. Our dogs saw him about the same time we did and started going completely ape barking and growling at the charging dog. I quickly switched the leash to my off hand and swept back my cover garment with my other while yelling "Back!" in as loud and commanding a voice as I could. Just as my hand was coming to rest on the butt of my handgun in preparation for the draw, the dog pulled up and stopped his charge. The owner of the dog came running around the house and I dropped my cover garment back into place. He eventually got control of the dog and we went about our business.

Things I learned:

1. Dogs are ridiculously fast. Having spotted the dog from about 50 feet, I would barely have had time to draw and fire if my reaction time had been perfect.
2. My dogs can read the body language of another dog much better and quicker than I can. After seeing the dog charging, they immediately became hostile. They do not act this way around dogs that are not acting aggressively. I'll trust them more from now on.

Things I'll do differently next time:

1. Keep the leash in my off hand. Having to move the leash cost me time I don't have when there's a dog charging.
2. Do not hesitate to draw and take aim at a charging animal. You simply do not have time to second guess yourself against an animal that is as fast as dogs are.
3. If my dogs' posture and my verbal commands aren't enough to stop or significantly slow down the charging animal, it gets a faceful of JHP if he gets closer than 15 ft.
 
While not a gun toter, I am usually armed with a working style knife.
But if I am walking any one of the hunting dogs (especially the bulldogs for catch duty), they can pretty much fend for them selves:D. I just gotta stand off to the side so as to avoid bites on myself...
Brent
 
This past summer I was walking my dogs, a husky and miniature grey hound at a park. Another lady was walking her big rottweiler. She stopped to talk to some people and dropped the rotts leash. It came towards my dogs and I, while it wasn't acting aggressive my husky is. I figured if it got to close and started growling it was going to take some lead in the head. I figure I'm being responsible and keeping my animals on a leash minding my own business and other people can't do the same they shouldn't be allowed to have pets. Same goes for strays and wild animals. They leave me alone, I'll leave them alone.
 
Greyhounds were bred in some places to chase down coyotes and similar pests, but the current racing Greyhound has likely lost that inclination or capability.
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Not hardly. I've done Greyhound rescue and adoption for over twenty years, and the 'yote hunters were always trying to get dogs from me. Around here (rural Nebraska) coyotes avoid anything resembling a Greyhound like the plague. I never have coyote problems around my property.

Friends who race Greyhounds and are active in adoption told me about their experience living near Los Angeles. Coyotes were getting into people's yards and killing small pets. One got into their yard. After their 90 pound retired male Greyhound got through with it, they were picking up pieces of Mr. Yote with the pooper scooper.
 
Wonder what a Great Pyr would do to a coyote???

Thinking of moving, and, the area I want to move to has a Great Pyr rescue real close, and, I think I'd have plenty of room for him...

If you had mountain lions around, what kind of dog would you want to have in the yard???
 
It wouldn't take much at all to motivate me to shoot a mountain lion. I came across one just a few months back while walking in a forested ravine at night in an urban area. He was within 30 feet or so of me and if he'd turned in my direction instead of walking away I would have shot him for sure. As it was he and I both walked briskly away from each other. :D

Just a funny coyote story: We haver a couple coyotes in our neighborhood that we hear almost every night and see on an almost daily basis. Only two of them and they are often alone. One of them is a female and about 2 1/1 years old, the same age as one of my Belgian Malinois (I've got two Mals). When the female coyote and my female Malinois were both about a year old I was walking in a parking lot near out street when the coyote came up to within 20 feet of my pup. She started hopping sideways towards my dog in a playful way. I let my Mal off her leash and I've never seen two dogs run that fast in my life. :D My Mal chased her for about 10 minutes straight in a circle around the nearbye streets, catching the coyote twice.

When I called my pup back to me the coyote followed her and and layed down in the parking lot less than a car-length from where me and my dog stood. A lady who'd been driving by stopped and told me she thought it was two coyotes chasing each other until I called them back to me. lol The coyote's become pretty domesticated and a guy who lives on my street leaves food and a water bowl out for it.
 
I personally don't hold the "stopping power" of a handgun in high regard. That's even more true if an animal hasn't watched enough TV to know it's supposed to fall down when shot.

I would not expect an attacking canine to be terribly impressed with a round of anything between 9mm and .45 ACP. In the frenzy of a dog fight, I think a meaningful hit would be extremely difficult. If the dog is charging, fear and surprise will also make hits difficult.

Unfortunately, I don't know of many alternatives. I'm left with "try pepper spray first", "carry a walking stick", or "expect to empty the magazine".
 
Had one happen to me. Went to a friends house, worken on a car and drinken a few beers. Yes I'm redneck. Left my weapon home. There were six of us there and none of us noticed the pit bull till it attacked my friends dog, tied to a tree in his front yard. Three of us jumped on the pit with two by fours and pipes. With blows that would of killed any man, we only managed to **** the pit off. We were able to take refuge in a truck bed till the leo got there. When he arrived the pit turned it's aggression on him. Wrong move, four rounds later dead pit. After the drama I asked the leo if I would of been justified shooting the dog. His reply "hell yeah!"
 
Wait until you all get some Timber Wolves. Now you have a federally protected animal with a track record of looking at your dog like the Sunday Buffet. They have eaten a couple around here. There was a guy with a bird dog that was being attacked by a Timber while he was HUNTING. Most hunters here just sort of chortled and shook their head over that one.
 
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