12.06.2009

134 - Coyotes

Last night a coyote almost killed my favorite dog. It's my parent's next door neighbor's dog. His name is Snoopy. I call him Snoop Dog, and he is adorable. My mom claims to dislike him, but she gives him treats anyway (cuz she just pretends to not like him). The problem is that when she and my dad take their nightly stroll around the neighborhood, he tries to follow them and then he challenges other dogs along the way (he doesn't know that he's little). The neighbor's answer to my mom's concern? "You can borrow the leash if you want." Clueless or stupid, I haven't decided which.

So Snoopy is outside a lot. Unsupervised. Over the last several months he's undergone a noticable change... his usual pep has been replaced by something else... he doesn't 'bound' much anymore, now he's tentative, and he shakes like he's cold even when it's not chilly outside. I don't know what's going on, but it makes me want to put him in my car and bring him home with me, because I feel like it's something bad. (I'm pissed) He even sits outside my parent's front door and whines. From what I can tell, they take better care of him than the neighbor does.

Back to the coyote...

Last night, mom and dad heard a panicked dog, went outside and saw Snoopy engaged with what they thought was another dog that lives on the street... but it turned out to be a coyote, and he was in the process of dragging Snoopy off (the neighbor wasn't even home, she just left him outside when she went to work). Dad went after them, shined the flashlight in the coyotes eyes and it surprised the coyote just enough for it to release Snoopy, at which point Snoopy made a break for it. As dad made his way back, another neighbor told him that the coyote was behind him; it was coming back. Dad shone the flashlight in its eyes again and it retreated. All in all, the coyote came back twice. I can't help but think how lucky dad is that the coyote didn't come after him.

I don't know if their neighbor took Snoop Dog to the vet or not, but she'd better, because Snoopy hasn't even had a fucking rabies shot. I think that pisses me off the most... if he contracted rabies, they'll have to put him down, and that's such a waste because he is such a sweet dog. Oh, and he's not a dog that's equipped to deal with the cold, but on the two coldest days we've had, they've left him out all day and into the night. I'm very close to bringing him home and letting them think the coyote finished the job. I just can't figure out if I'd be doing a good thing or stealing someone else's dog. And I have two cats. And I'm allergic to dogs... But I don't want him dead.

7 comments:

  1. Where do you live that there's coyotes? We have giant mutant spiders near me. Quite fun.

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  2. That is so sad! Our neighbor's little dog was taken by coyotes too! My Dad was tyaking out the garbage and saw a pack of them (like 4) in their cul de sac! This is suburbia! There is a lot of construction going on so my guess is that we (humans) are infringing on their habitat and they just do not know where to go. We have been getting a lot of fox too. I am so sorry bout the doggie:(

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  3. Oh my GOD...coyotes? Where do they live? The most wild animal I've seen around here is a fox.

    Anyway, don't see it as 'stealing' the poor dog...think of it as saving him!

    @ Ian: Remind me never to go near your place...I hate spiders!!!

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  4. take the dog...we have coyotes around here as well...in fact our high school is the coyotes..lol...

    One coyote is a coward so your dad was safe, but a pack can cause anybody a lot of grief especially if they particularly hungry... I'm glad snoop dog got away, but don't give those little buggers another chance at him...

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  5. Ian, where do you live with the spiders??? Egads I hate spiders... all but the little spiny backed orb weaver that looks like a little hermit crab (key words: little, outdoors, not harmful, wasp killer).

    Lisa Marie - Snoopy didn't die (that I know of), he was incredibly lucky that his neck wasn't broken or his throat ripped out...

    Sarah / Ian - Their house backs up to a creek, so there are all kinds of critters (we live in TX). Usually all we see are raccoons and opossums. My neighborhood supposedly has coyotes, but they're further back than I live (I hope). For the longest time I got them confused with hyenas, so when I saw a picture I thought 'geez! that looks like a dog!'

    Bendigo - I think that one was hungry. Dad's right, it was probably coming back for Snoopy, but I don't like the fact that it was behind my dad... or coming back for Snoopy. I really hope they keep him inside when it gets dark. But if they don't, I will take him.

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  6. My god that makes me so mad. Why have a dog if you are going to neglect it? Grrrr....

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  7. Haha I live in the "country" north of Baltimore, MD. Alot of farmland near me causes all kinds of critters like Mice and giant spiders. Spiders don't bother me, it's the millions of bees during the summer that kill me. Oh yeah, that and balloons ;)

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