Are Coyotes Going To Eat Your Dog?

Most people are surprised to learn that coyotes occupy almost all of Noth America. “Are they dangerous?” many ask shortly after hearing this information. I find it interesting that one moment, someone can be entirely ignorant of a creature’s existence, and the next, they’re worried about its effect on their safety. But there are risks — they just don’t usually involve large, adult human beings. Here’s what you need to know. 

How Big Are Coyotes?

Many urban residents think of coyotes as simply mini wolves, and in many ways, they’re right. But the size and shape differences between the two canids mean that there are large behavioral differences too. 

The average coyote is somewhere around 35 pounds. In the Northeastern US, coyotes have a bit more wolf DNA and are therefore slightly larger — generally around 45 pounds. This isn’t particularly big, and it’s about the weight of a border collie, a fairly unintimidating dog. 

But coyotes have big coats in the winter and this can give the impression of a much larger animal. Interestingly, when urban residents report coyote sightings, they often relate that they first mistook the coyote for a german shepherd, a 60-to-80-pound breed. 

Are Coyotes a Threat to People?

If you are a human reading this, there is a non-zero chance that you’ll be attacked by a coyote in your life. There is also a non-zero chance that you’ll be abducted by aliens. Young children, of course, are at greater risk, but the fear of a coyote attack usually outweighs reality by orders of magnitude. 

As a graduate student, I was a part of a citizen science monitoring program in which I followed people’s descriptions of coyote encounters. I scrutinized all of the data across an entire metropolitan region for several years. Out of 2,893 reported incidents, only 59 could be described as aggressive or threatening. Of these 59 encounters, none involved a human adult or child being physically harmed by a coyote.

There have been physical attacks recorded elsewhere. In California, where humans and coyotes live in close proximity, coyotes sometimes but rarely injure unattended children. Only one fatality on a child — that of a girl named Kelly Keen — has ever been recorded.

Similarly, as of today, only a single adult has ever been killed by coyotes. The now-infamous incident went as follows: Taylor Mitchell, a petite Canadian woman, was walking through the woods to kill time before playing a small acoustic concert. Fellow hikers reportedly saw two coyotes following her before hearing screaming in the distance. After the hikers called the police, a mountie showed up and found Mitchel responsive but seriously injured. One of the coyotes, who was still standing over her, showed no fear but growled defensively. The mountie killed the coyote and took Mitchel to the hospital, where she died of blood loss.

After this unusual incident, biologists speculated wildly on the reason for the atypical behavior. Some suggested that Mitchell must have tried to feed the coyotes or that she might have come too close to a juvenile. Others suggested that one or both of the animals might have been rabid. None of the explanations panned out, and wildlife experts have since had to modify their all-or-nothing attitudes on the risk of wildlife attacks. 

The lesson is an important one: crazy, unpredictable events happen, and we all must accept this. If you plan to spend time in nature, you should be prepared for the dangers of being outside.

This friendly coyote still used to bite the hell out of my hand

Are Coyotes a Threat to Cats?

If you have an outdoor cat, you’ve probably wondered about the danger your pet faces from cars, people, predators, and natural poisons. You’re right to be concerned. Cats who live most of their lives outside live significantly shorter lives than those who don’t 

Coyotes are just one of many threats to your outdoor pet, but they can hunt, kill, and eat cats. The vast majority of outdoor felines live their lives without ever facing such an attack. 

In the study I reviewed, 25 cats were reported killed over three years. The study, however, did not consider cats whose owners did not report the incident. For this reason, scat research might be a more accurate measure, and most studies place domestic cats at around 1-2% of coyote diets. Typically, these studies take place in regions with large outdoor populations of both creatures. This is not an insignificant figure, but urban cats, both feral and domestic, are much more common in North America than coyotes, so their numbers might perhaps skew scat data upward.

Whatever the numbers, the answer to the question, “are they a threat to cats?” must be answered with a yes. A better question, though, is “should I let my cat outside?”, and the answer is a most certain no. Cats too are predators, and they have rendered extinct no fewer than 63 species. In fact, they kill far more efficiently than most native predators, and since most humans supplement their diets with pet food, they’ve bread rampantly above the natural carrying capacity of most landscapes.

Are Coyotes a Threat to Dogs?

Because dogs come in so many different shapes and sizes, the question of their risk from coyote attack is more nuanced than that of cats and people. 

Coyotes, like other intelligent animals, have individual personalities. Some are sneaky and aggressive. Others are playful and friendly. Here’s one of an animal that purportedly played with an urban dog for years:

Not all wild canids, though, are nice to dogs. Of the incidents I tracked, 2 dogs were killed. These were described as smaller dogs, which might have been chihuahuas or shi-tzus. Perhaps surprisingly, the size of the dog didn’t seem to deter general aggression, and respondents with all kinds of dogs described “creepy,” or “threatening” encounters.

Several respondents with somewhat larger pets recounted having to intervene upon finding wild canids cornering their pets in their backyards. Since none of the respondents replied for a comment, it’s hard to say what might have happened if they hadn’t shown up.

It’s probably safe to say that the more your dog resembles a cat or natural food source, the more danger it faces. Larger canines are in less danger, but you still probably shouldn't leave them out late at night if you know your property to be inhabited by wild predators. Since attacks on dogs are even rarer than those on cats, it’s unlikely you’ll ever encounter a problem, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

What Should I do if I Live Near Coyotes?

Despite the minor risks to you and your pets, coyotes often do more good than harm. They kill rodents, keep the ecosystem in balance, and prevent the spread of disease. There is no shortage of overanxious parents or pet parents who would purge the earth of coyotes to eliminate a fraction of a fraction of a percentage point of risk. Don’t be like these people. Watch over your pets and small children within reason, and, statistically, you’ll be fine.

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