Man saves daughter's poodle from teeth of coyote
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HANSVILLE, Wash. -- A family is still shaken up over the sight of their daughter's small dog being carried off into the woods by a coyote near Hansville. But thanks to the quick thinking of Greg Johnson, the dog managed to escape.
"I was pretty broke up," Johnson said. "The whole family was screaming."
Daisy, their toy poodle/havanese, slipped out the cat door around 8 a.m. New Year's morning, but the family's other dogs sensed something was wrong.
"They started screaming their cry that they do when coyotes are near," said Nicci Johnson.
Greg Johnson said the minute he went outside, he could see the coyote.
"The coyote was leaning over Daisy and she looked absolutely dead," Johnson said. "And I was furious... I was going right at him with nothing."
The stare-down didn't stop the coyote.
"When coyote saw me coming after her, he picked her up," Greg Johnson said. "And here's her little limp body hanging out of the coyote's mouth and coyote takes off into the woods."
Greg Johnson isn't a gun guy, but says the coyote population has ballooned so much around his waterfront home, he bought a .22 to frighten the packs.
"Noise is critical -- it really does scare them away," Greg Johnson said.
Fish and Game officials say coyotes aren't a protected species and people feeling threatened can shoot them but should check city gun laws before pulling a trigger. Sometimes a paintball gun or power hose can do the trick.
Greg Johnson ran to the treeline and then unloaded a clip from his .22 into the ground.
"The bushes started to move and I thought it was the coyote coming back, so I watched, and it was (Daisy)," he said.
The coyote had bit Daisy in the neck and the teeth went through her windpipe. They rushed her to a Poulsbo animal hospital where Daisy underwent successful surgery and is going to survive.
"(Daisy) will be OK," Nicci Johnson said. "I don't know if I ever will. I feel like we're trapped in our own home."
Fish and Wildlife officials say this is the time of year when typically timid coyotes become scavengers looking for compost piles, pet food, or pets.
They don't really have a count of coyotes to say if there are suddenly more or if more homes are just moving into their turf. If you encounter a coyote, be loud and aggressive, so they see you as a threat versus prey.
"I was pretty broke up," Johnson said. "The whole family was screaming."
Daisy, their toy poodle/havanese, slipped out the cat door around 8 a.m. New Year's morning, but the family's other dogs sensed something was wrong.
"They started screaming their cry that they do when coyotes are near," said Nicci Johnson.
Greg Johnson said the minute he went outside, he could see the coyote.
"The coyote was leaning over Daisy and she looked absolutely dead," Johnson said. "And I was furious... I was going right at him with nothing."
The stare-down didn't stop the coyote.
"When coyote saw me coming after her, he picked her up," Greg Johnson said. "And here's her little limp body hanging out of the coyote's mouth and coyote takes off into the woods."
Greg Johnson isn't a gun guy, but says the coyote population has ballooned so much around his waterfront home, he bought a .22 to frighten the packs.
"Noise is critical -- it really does scare them away," Greg Johnson said.
Fish and Game officials say coyotes aren't a protected species and people feeling threatened can shoot them but should check city gun laws before pulling a trigger. Sometimes a paintball gun or power hose can do the trick.
Greg Johnson ran to the treeline and then unloaded a clip from his .22 into the ground.
"The bushes started to move and I thought it was the coyote coming back, so I watched, and it was (Daisy)," he said.
The coyote had bit Daisy in the neck and the teeth went through her windpipe. They rushed her to a Poulsbo animal hospital where Daisy underwent successful surgery and is going to survive.
"(Daisy) will be OK," Nicci Johnson said. "I don't know if I ever will. I feel like we're trapped in our own home."
Fish and Wildlife officials say this is the time of year when typically timid coyotes become scavengers looking for compost piles, pet food, or pets.
They don't really have a count of coyotes to say if there are suddenly more or if more homes are just moving into their turf. If you encounter a coyote, be loud and aggressive, so they see you as a threat versus prey.
"this noisy airport i bought a home next to is lowering the quality of my life!"
coyote attacks dog is a new story?
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Next story.... dog sneaks out cat door and take a huge dump in the NEIGHBORS yard!!!
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Sorry folks let your pet out the cat door and they become open game for critters. Â Not rocket science here. Â I would never allow our pets out due to this fact.
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Can't blame the coyotes, they are probably use to eating the Johnson's cats that are sent out the cat door to the great outdoors. They just thought the poodle was another cat dinner the Johnson's were providing!.
Good use for a .223 "assault" rifle. High speed bullet, lots of hydrostatic shock and enough rounds left for follow up shots (if necessary)Â for a relatively humane kill.
 @bagsofdirt Easily more likely that varmints of the "humane" kind deserve the bullets more than the coyote.Â
Stupid coyotes. What in the hell are they doing living in the woods and eating stuff anyway??? I'm certain the Johnson's were there first. Â The species should be exterminated.
Wheres Hansville, is that like Sesame Street.
The coyote's are most likely after the rats. But go ahead and kill em. Its the American way.
You dog lovers should stay home. I dont want my taxes to be spent on anymore nature walkways.
City/County ordinance my butt. A coyote in my yard will be a dead one.
Coyotes are just animals doing their thing in the wild and and trying to survive. Sheesh. Humans are far more invasive.... That said, you simply need to keep a close eye on your pets. I've seen eagles and owls swoop down on dogs and cats as well. Coyotes are not the only predators out there looking for their next meal.
Poodles in general are fugly dogs. I wish the coyote would have eaten that thing...
Curious if the people who are losing pets to coyotes have fenced yards? Â I would never let my dogs out in my yard if I didn't have it fenced, for obvious reasons (they can take off after a bear, or any other wildlife.) But wondering if it's even safe in a fenced acre with forests around the edges? Â I can hear coyotes at night sometimes where I live in the the South Sound, in a rural/suburban area, and it's so unsettling. Â Does anyone know if they will jump fences?Â
 @DT Depends on how high the fence is. They can go over but usually go under, even if they have to dig.
 @Powderhound thanks. that's what i was afraid of.  We don't leave our dogs out alone at any time, but there have been times late at night when they need to go out, and I haven't gone with them (in the fenced yard.) Will change that. Â
 @DT There are also some good preventative suggestions here:Â
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http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/coyotes.html
 @DT "Coyotes can easily get over a 6-foot fence(some individuals even higher). Eliminating the coyoteâs ability to get a grip on the top of the fence or wall is the best means of prevention. Installing a PVC pipe that is free to spin a round a tight wire is a good method to use."
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http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/urban_coyote_faq.pdf
Coyotes are one of the most adaptable animals in the world. They eat anything and everything. Years ago when living in Everett I was driving along the waterfront next to the railroad tracks and there pleasantly trotting along was a coyote.  Now in the fall I've seen coyote poop in our driveway that was full of undigested apple and blackberries, other times it's pretty obvious they've eaten a small animal like a vole or mice. We're in rural Thurston county and haven't seen or heard them for several months. We have heard quite a bit of gunfire so maybe the neighbors have killed off most of them. One neighbor had sheep and goats and discovered that talk radio turned up fairly loud kept them away (it keeps me away too). When the wind was just right I could hear it at our place about 1500 feet away.Â
Had different dogs, and cats here. I'm talking adventurous cats that go where no cat should go. Many coyotes. I've never heard so many coyotes, or seen so many in my entire 63 years anywhere else. Never, ever, an issue with coyotes. No reason to fear them at all. Maybe those pets have been sheltered a bit too much and have no survival skills?
You are lucky to have your dog. We live near Federal Way & have lost a small dog & several sheep to the coyotes & just last night we lost our beloved black lab to them. My husband did shoot at them but missed. There were 2. The humane societ told us it is unusual for a coyote to kill a big dog but they did.It was a very vicious attack. She was my special needs Grandson best friend. They were the same age. The coyotes seem to have taken over everywhere & I do believe its time for the state to protect US from them. They are getting way to aggressive.
Wow, the American News Media is really going big time these days. Coyote attacks Poodle. In another story, pitbulls attack neighbors dog and its the owners fault. In another story, young crazy man with assault rifle kills kids and it all blamed on society. Well, I've got some news for you to chew on "I was attacked by family dogs 4 times last summer, and had to pull my gun each time". That didn't make the news. What the hell. I hope the squirrels chase you dog lovers out of the woods. And the President hears about it. So there!
 @WillyWonka345 you got attacked by family dogs four times last summer?  Hmmm... interesting crowd you hang out with.Â
@DT @WillyWonka345 You have a short attention span. Work on getting to reality. Your family dogs. You big Doe Doe Bird.
I'm so happy he went out when he did. Â You can't blame the coyotes, of course; that is what they do. Â But I feel really sorry for the dogs and cats that fall prey to them. Â Good work, dad!
@belsnickles Why not blame the Coyotes. Its the American way. And blame it on Society. And blame it on the tax payer. And blame it on the president.
I am so happy they were able to rescue their pup. Those coyotes are getting bolder and bolder! I live in University Place in a fairly densely populated area and while walking my dog a week or so ago, saw 2 very large coyotes about 50 feet away. Needless to say, we hurried up and turned around and went back home right away. Scared me for my dog, he's kinda little but thinks he's a wolf....LOL
@Justice4Me There is a large pack of coyotes in Cowan Park. They must be branching out. They breed like dogs so we are overrun.
@Justice4Me  They are in Seattle too. Like, in the city, not the outskirts.Â
@lakeview  They're down here in the Kent Valley too. But it used to be wetlands. We took their home. Can't really blame them
Thank goodness the family dog was saved...I'm very thankful for that. Many prayers of thanks and relief on my end.
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We all need to step back for a moment though and remember something: we humans continue to destroy the natural habitat and homes of wildlife like this coyote. We decimate their homes and are then angry at them for invading our neighborhoods. They are desperate for food and are only trying to survive. Don't get me wrong...I love my pets more than anything in the world and would be devestated if one was taken by a coyote, but....I would NOT be upset with the coyote for doing so.Â
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 @McGee123 anthropomorphic much?
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Trap coyotes and kill them. They are just vermin. .22 in suburban areas isn't a good idea. Shotguns are probably better. Even if you just wound them they will probably die later.
@Iconoclast @McGee123 Actually they are not vermin. They kill and eat vermin. And I hope one bites you and gives you RABIES
@Iconoclast @McGee123Â You probably couldnt hit the side of a a barn.
@Iconoclast @McGee123 - You know, I would like to see the two-legged vermin killed when they commit crimes against people. That's what I would call a tooth for tooth!
@Iconoclast @McGee123    Nice post. I particularly like the part about wounding them to die a slow painful death later.  Oops, sorry. I'm feeding the troll by replying to this idiotic post.
 @McGee123 One flaw with your theory... Coyotes are not native to western Washington. From adventuresnw dot com:
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"In Washington state, coyotes are native to the drylands and deserts of the Columbia Basin, and the pine forests and sage brush hills of the Umatilla, Colville, Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests. They were less common, though not unknown, in the wet forests of western Washington. Today, however, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) categorizes every square inch of Washington state at âcore habitatâ for coyotes. That is, while other predator species declined in population , or outright disappeared, this small canine pushed its range, expanding out into areas previously dominated by wolves, cougars and bears. The coyote now thrives in every county, and in many cities, of Washington, as well as coast to coast, in every state except Hawaii."
 @slappywag  @McGee123 "though not unknown, in the wet forests of western Washington" So, how does one get not native out of that?
 @slappywag  @McGee123 Interesting, although it's sort of horrible to imagine what fed that population growth. I hope it wasn't all peoples' pets!
 @Sutekh  @slappywag  @McGee123Â
I expect the population growth is the result of coyotes naturally migrating to areas of abundant, easy food sources from their natural harsher environment. Â Â
"lucky dog"Â
this is more common than you would think.. you really can't let your pets out in wooded and rural areas where there are wild animals without keeping an eye on them. it's not safe.
@stargunner  Happened to my friend in high school at their home. About the same size dog. One minute it was there, the next it was being taken by a coyote never to be seen again. Kind of a rural town, but fairly close to San Francisco.Â
Hansville is rural. I would rather deal with coyotes than the crazier thugs of suburbia.