Woman bitten, two dogs dead after coyote attack
We were just discussing attacks from predators a couple of days ago. Here's a very sad story from Colorado about a woman whose dogs were attacked by a coyote.
Fences are the best way to deter coyotes, but they aren't 100 percent effective. Coyotes can climb them and get into your yard. Some people who live where coyotes are prone to attack have had success keeping them out by stringing PVC pipe around the top of their fences. The loose pipe rolls when something tries to climb it, so coyotes can't gain any footing on top of the fence. Others have resorted to electric wiring along the tops of their fences. Whatever it takes to keep their dogs and other pets safe.
From Channel 9 News, Colorado
Woman bitten, two dogs dead after coyote attack
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer
written by: Thanh Truong , 9NEWS Reporter
Woman bitten, two dogs dead after coyote attack. 9NEWS at 9 p.m. 12/24/07
ERIE - On Christmas Eve, Janice Shattuck and her family had to have their dog "Lola" euthanized. Earlier in the morning, another of their dogs "Eddie" died after being attacked by coyotes.
"To have this loss on Christmas Eve, it's a staggering loss. I know that may sound ridiculous, but we care so much for our dogs. It's terrible," said John Shattuck.
The dogs were attacked Sunday. Janice Shattuck let two of the family's four dogs into the yard. Within minutes she heard a commotion outside and ran out to see what was happening.
When she got out to the back yard she saw four coyotes, two were inside the fence. Both of her dogs were in the jaws of the coyotes. She started swinging and kicking at the coyotes hoping to free her pets. She managed to free Lola, but the coyotes dragged Eddie away.
"When she came back inside, she had blood on her nightgown and Lola in a blanket," said John Shattuck.
While trying to rescue her dogs, Janice Shattuck was bitten on the arm.
"It definitely punctured her arm, and mangled one of her fingers on her left hand," said Shattuck.
Shattuck's son found the other dog Eddie in the backyard a few hours later. They took him to an animal hospital where he died Monday morning. Later that afternoon, they had to put Lola down.
"The coyote snapped her spine, she was paralyzed," said Shattuck.
Janice Shattuck will have to endure six rounds of rabies shots. Her arm in a bandage, she said she was too shaken up to be interviewed. Speaking to her husband, she said she didn't care about the rabies shots, she was more concerned about the loss of the dogs.
There is no doubt the Shattucks are dog lovers. Each of their four dogs has their own Christmas stockings. Two will remain empty.
According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, coyotes generally do not attack people, but do attack pets. The DOW says if a coyote approaches you or your pet, try scaring it away by making loud noises or throwing a rock or a stick at it.
December 26th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I'm truly sorry for the loss of these dogs which were obviously very much loved BUT BUT BUT…
What was there first??? It sickens me to see farm land, old homesteads, acres and acres of land just being bulldozed - families of praire dogs? Rabbits? Trees with owls? So what.. just bulldoze them. We have to have more HUGE houses for families of 2 to live in with 5000 sq feet minimum.
People who choose to live in the mountains, what was there first? Bears? Cougars? Yup.. We here in the People's Republic of Boulder, have even had people build their McMansions and then complain that the noise from the cows/sheep whatever next door is "too loud" for them.
Maybe if there was a tad more real life planning done and people weren't so interested in making as much money as they could off the highest amount of houses they could fit in a 5 acre plot of land, the coyotes wouldn't have to go after dogs for dinner, or for that matter for fun.
I find it incredibly inhumane to just bulldoze land with no regard what-so-ever for the animals living on it.
You live on land that was not too long ago inhabited with coyotes, prairie dogs, moles, rabbits, they were there first, you chose to live there, they had no say in their habitats getting destroyed, their food source killed.
Would I let my cat or small dogs outside unsupervised? NOPE. Anyone with children knows, it only takes ONE time of not having your eye on them for something to happen.
December 26th, 2007 at 11:56 am
If you live in Colorado you may know more about the people involved in this story than the rest of us. I don't see anything in the story that says the woman lived in a new development.
My heart goes out to the woman and her family who have lost their dogs. But I am also sympathetic to the point you make about industrialization and developers. I've seen the city where I was raised become almost unrecognizable in the last 20-30 years. When I was growing up my neighborhood was rural, with cows and horses all around. Now it's one shopping mall after another for miles. I finally left for, literally, greener pastures.
However, where coyotes are concerned, it's not always a case of developing their habitats and pushing them out. They will encroach on human areas when their populations rise even if their lands are undisturbed. I live in an area now that has very little annual development. However, we can hear the coyotes howl at night. Sometimes they get quite close. It's not unheard of, even here in Tennessee, for a coyote to snatch a small dog. They may also be attracted here because of all of the livestock — calves, lambs, goat kids. So, you can't say that coyotes are blameless. People here will sometimes keep donkeys in their fields to keep the coyotes away.
I don't like yuppies or their ilk who move to a rural area and then complain about the cows and things either. But sometimes wildlife sees an easy meal and acts. It's not always because their lands have been disturbed.
December 26th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I suppose that it's too much to ask if it's okay to shoot the varmints?
When I was a kid, I got paid $1.50 - $2 for each coyote taken within a certain Montana Rural area that was over run. The feds paid #1 and the ranchers co-op paid the remainder. Paid for my 70 cutlass convertible.
As for who/what was there first… Sara, We (humans) are the top of the food chain. If it takes pushing back coyotes and WOLVES so be it! By your discourse, I would deduce that you think that humans are a blight on the planet… I suppose you would want to serve up virgins to a volcano to mollify the mountain… After all it was here first.
I should, will and do have a fenced area for my (4) rescued dogs and expect some reasonable expectation for their safety and welfare. Even unsupervised. Any varmint, vcoyote, wolf that comes into the area is fully expected to pay the price - with their life.
To the Shattuck family. Bear with it, there will always be a hole where Lola and Eddie were in your hearts. It will settle as time goes on, get another dog from the shelter and this time shoot the coyotes.
December 27th, 2007 at 8:23 am
I'm not handy with a gun, but I don't have a problem with shooting something to defend a loved one, and that includes my dogs. The hawk that attacked the Chihuahua the other day, this coyote, the wolves that have been attacking people and dogs in Alaska — I think defending yourself and your dogs with a gun is a reasonable response if you know how to use one.
I largely agree with your comments, though I do want us to preserve areas for coyotes, wolves and other animals. They just need to stay out of my backyard.
I hope Sara will respond.
Carlotta
December 28th, 2007 at 7:07 am
There was an article in the Daily Camera (Boulder's paper) and some of the comments went the way mind did and some went the way of "get the gun and shoot them".
It also stated the the dogs were a breed that I believe is considered "toy" (small to me).
I did read about the wolves in Alaska, I didn't hear about the eagle but small dogs/cats/guinea pig size animals outside where there are preditors? That's like putting a plate of chocolate in front of me and turning your back.
Erie has lots of new development and the land was all previously open farm land or just undeveloped.
I'm just saying, while it is a rotten, terrible loss for the family, as long as people are living where there are "varmits" things like this are going to happen.
One of my cats had kittens, the kittens got adventurous and went next door. The terrier killed them. The terrier was doing what it was breed to do. The coyotes are doing what is bred in them. The eagle as well.
Would I have any problem going after someone/thing that was going after my kids? None. Do I have BIG DOGS? Yup. Would a coyote or two gone into a fenced yard had there been a couple of big dogs in there instead of bite sized morsel ones?
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/27/coyote-attack-raises-questions/
December 28th, 2007 at 9:30 am
and I just want to add that because of all the wonderful homeowners associations rules and regulations, they probably aren't "allowed" to put up a really good fence (much less have a clothes line but I digress).