Three dogs disappear in nine days, all in early morning; coyote attacks suspected
Daylight is no protection; coyotes operate day and night.
August 26, 2011
by Christine Yeres
Around 9:00 a.m. last Tuesday a seven-pound Yorkshire terrier disappeared from Shadow Brook Road in Lawrence Farms South in the ten minutes he was left outside unattended. Its owners heard nothing. The following Monday, August 22, a 20-pound golden miniature Labradoodle disappeared without a sound, sometime between 7:15 and 7:45 a.m., from Petersville Road. And on Wednesday, August 24, between 7:45 and 8:15 a.m. Paula Bernard’s 20-pound 14-year-old Westie, Comet, vanished silently from her yard on Kitchell Road in Lawrence Farms East.
Bernard sent her 24-year-old son to Neighbors Link in Mt. Kisco to hire four men to help search for Comet. They joined Bernard’s husband and broke up into three pairs. They positioned themselves in the woods behind the house and worked towards one another, combing the woods carefully and calling to Comet. At about 1:00 p.m. the search party found the scant remains of the dog, two houses over from Bernard’s, but deep in the woods.
Bernard called on Jim Moore, New Castle’s animal control officer, who confirmed that it looked like the work of coyotes. Remains, by the way, should never be handled by anyone other than a professional, since there is always the possibility that the attacker was rabid.
About a year ago, Moore told Bernard, a resident reported seeing a pack of eight coyote pups near the Mt. Kisco Country Club golf course. By the time Moore arrived to investigate, the pack had dispersed. “These could be full grown now and picking off our pets,” Bernard conjectured. Pets and other animals, too, she’s heard. “A friend of mine on Alta Lane saw a coyote catch a baby deer and carry it off down the street.” In comparing notes, it occurred to Bernard and her friends that they’d been seeing fewer and fewer small wild animals, such as rabbits, around their houses. “And there used to be some feral kittens down by White Oak” she added. “They’re gone too.”
“I’m hearing more and more stories of dogs and cats gone missing,” said Bernard. “Everyone thinks their pet is just missing,” said Bernard, “but they’re not. Coyotes come and without any sound they grab their prey by the neck, instantly kill them and run off with them.” Moore told Bernard that coyotes have been known to watch the habits of their prey and learn when to go after them. “And you know,” said Bernard, “a 20-pound dog? There are 20-pound children. It could happen.”
“We used to think it was only at dusk and evening this kind of thing could happen,” said Bernard, “but no. It’s any time of day. People ought to know this.”
And the presence of an adult human doesn’t seem to be a deal-breaker for the coyote. A friend told Bernard of someone who’d been outside with his dog. He turned away briefly from the dog and when he looked back, the dog had disappeared. Bernard has heard from another friend who engaged in an alarming stare-down with a coyote in her driveway. “They’re pretty brazen,” said Bernard. “Another guy on Lawrence Farms East was mowing his lawn with his dog in the yard when a coyote approached. He had to throw rocks at it to make it go away,” she reported.
Last spring, Bernard heard of pet disappearances on Annendale, White Oak and Club Way. “People don’t have a clue how common it is,” she said. “I used to let my dog out all the time. Only in these last few years did you ever hear about coyotes. How can you have a dog who’s 14, like Comet, and suddenly you can’t let them out anymore?”
Through Jim Moore, Bernard got in touch with the State’s Department of Environmental Conservation to seek a permit for a qualified person to come get rid of the coyotes, especially if there is a den of them living in the area, making them a special nuisance. Yesterday afternoon, Moore told the Bernards that someone connected to the USDA Animal Wildlife Services would come to investigate the incident. The State does not pay for someone to “take” the wildlife, but will issue a permit to have a licensed “nuisance wildlife control operator” do it. According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, though, “Raccoons, coyotes, or fox injuring private property may be taken by the landowner, his or her family or employee, or their written designee at any time in any manner,” without a permit from DEC. To see the DEC’s website, click HERE.
Editor’s Note: Last November, NCNOW ran a story about a young yellow lab, attached to the front door of a house by a 15-foot leash, who was attacked by a coyote weighing between 50 and 70 pounds, its owner estimated. The dog’s owners scared off the coyote. See “Coyote attacked our puppy, right outside my front door,” November 12, 2010.
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Left: Ellie, from Petersville Road (241-0150); right, Bode from Shadow Brook Road (861-2426)
Ellie was an amazing dog, unfailingly goodnatured and friendly to both humans and other dogs, and incredibly athletic (she would go on 13 mile runs, and she could out-swim my enormous Golden Retriever, no problem). My dogs and I will miss her.
Very sorry about everyone losing their pets, this is scary. Aside from not allowing our dogs to roam around the back yard, does anyone have any tips for safety? Will anything scare coyote’s off? If my daughter is walking my dog at dusk, is there a risk or do coyote’s have a pattern they follow? I know this may sound silly but I have never had any experience with coyotes, not sure I’d even recognize one. Will Coyote’s come into a fenced back yard..do they have the ability? Will leaving dog food outside lure them..? If we see one, who do we call and what should we do? Do they travel in packs?
I am going to have to do my research. Thank you and again, my condolences for each families loss.
It was our puppy who was attacked last year, and we know that there is a coyote den in our backyard on Cowdin Lane. When we contacted animal control, we were told there is nothing they could do about it.If someone wants to come into our yard and clear out the den, they are more than welcome to do it. BTW, the “coyotes” seem to be more wolf hybrids, as the animal that attacked our dog was the size of a large German Shepherd and had a rust brown coat—not like those scrawny 40 lb grey coyotes that are indigenous to the area.
We have also heard the coyotes yipping at night between the north end of Cowdin Lane and Heathcote—in the past it was always in our backyard, to the north side of Cowdin
Around 11pm August 30th, I heard a pack of coyotes in the area of Seven Bridges Road near Lawrence Farms Crossway. A very distinct sound of a pack making noise while it was on the move. Nothing you can really do but be aware of the situation.
I grew up in a part of the county where coyotes were a nuisance, primarily to owners of livestock. In answer to the question posed by Cookie (above), I believe most people with coyote experience would say, “You’ll know one when you see one.” They are true canines: doglike in appearance, height, and size, except they tend to be extremely mangy. Typical of wild canines (dingo, coyote, and wild dog), they bear the tell-tale thinnes of scavenger-predators. If the animal you are observing looks like a dog, only it seems a little bit “off,” as in skittish, tenacious, hovering in the near distance, you’re probably looking at a coyote who has spotted potential prey. I’m sure animal control professionals would not encourage this: nevertheless, if you charge a coyote, it will run, but only far enough to get out of harms way. As long as prey is nearby, it will persist.
I’m sorry for those of you that lost your family pets. However, I’ve heard time and time again not to leave pets or in a yard by themselves. As unfortunate as it may be to lose a pet, what if it was a small child. Cookie asked for tips. Never leave pets or small children alone.
There are a herd of coyotes living in the woods along Lawrence Farms Crossway. There were several spottings of them standing in the middle of the road in broad daylight the past few days.
I live on route 128 beside Alfredo Nursery and we butt up against the Chappaqua Ridge .We are experiencing the same problems with the coyotes.We feel we are being stalked now as we have had 2 big ones waiting by our back doors waiting for an opportunity to get our 7 year old dog .....or now maybe us.?..They show no dear are very cleaver and in fact don’t seem to have any natural predator.
many of our neighbours dogs and cats have disappeared and I am truly afraid ours will go as soon as take are eyes off of him.This is a environmental problem that I understand was caused by the environmental agencies and the coyotes where brought into help combat the deer population.I think.there is no need to blame anyone for the problem but it will take a full community effort to get safe from the coyote’s reign of terror
I would be willing to help s to sit down with the city to form a sensible and proper solution to deal with this serious and really scary menace.We must deal with them as a dangerous species that must be moved from our area I think if there was a professional hunters association that came through the entire ridge, the wet lands and preservation parks on a yearly basis like the mating season ( November December and January ) and professional hunters where allowed to catch, shoot, or even scare the daylights out of the coyotes after a few years they might migrate or be eradicated ...
other wise it will be a problem that will only get worse and worse every year til perhaps someone’s child or wife really does get attacked by a huge pack of coyotes. I think that it makes sense to form an qnti coyote campaign even if it only makes the powers that control and enforce our safety aware of this serious problem .I know it is
not anyones fault, but we must work together to fix the problem
