Stalked by coyote pack

Re: 'Terrifying' wolf encounter

In response to your article about the woman named Kyla Nelson, who had a terrifying encounter with a wolf, I thought I would send you mine, which happened last Thursday, also another encounter back in March.  

My blood ran cold when Tig’ger, my dog disappeared from the front yard.  Perhaps she caught the scent of a deer, or was lured by a coyote or dognapper. Gratefully, however three hours later we were reunited though, as a kindly woman by the name of Gwen, stopped my straying dog who had been romping in the fields and on the golf course nearby, but out of sight; as I drove around frantically looking and calling for her.  Tig’ger must have gotten tired of her newly found freedom and so jumped into Gwen’s vehicle, and was taken to a nearby vet clinic. 

The dog tag was used to identify my pet and a city pound employee phoned, saying she was safe and sound, ready for pick up.  There wouldn’t be a fine because it was Tig’ger’s first offense.  I shed tears of gratitude, as my dog is my baby, as a lot of people can attest to with their own pets.   

Sadly however, some people aren’t that lucky to get their four legged furry friends back that easily.  In our neighbourhood some animals have gone missing permanently, especially cats, as there are a lot of coyotes around the suburbs. 

In fact the people who used to own our house had a cat that snuck out one night and was found terribly mauled the next morning, lying there critically injured, on their doorstep. The feline somehow escaped the jaws of a coyote and made it home, and its human family rushed  it to a veterinary hospital for emergency surgery to stitch up the many wounds on their pet, and it survived. 

Unaware of this at the time, little did I know that danger lurked at dusk when I took Tig’ger for a walk, once again using my mobility scooter.  We just arrived at the edge of the forest when my dog sounded the alarm.  She barks and howls like a coyote when she gets distressed, and at least four coyotes answered her.  They were nearby, hidden in the thicket, but she could see and smell them and was frantically growling, bouncing and doing her woo woo yipping bark, a noise likened to that of a crazed yodeler.   

The canis latrans seemed to be taunting her, with one of them sounding just like Tig’ger; as it mimicked her bark very well.  No wonder the indigenous people call the coyote a trickster.  I later learned that a coyote will project its voice in various howls and yips, which gives off an auditory illusion called the beau geste effect.  Each coyote makes a variety of sounds and the noise is distorted as it passes through the air, hence two coyotes can seem more like seven or eight. It is how they protect their territory. 

Nonetheless, the gang of wild canids, whatever their number, seemed to be infuriating Tig'ger, as she was getting rather frenzied, while I on the other hand was getting awfully nervous, as they were very close in proximity.  I knew their MO, as they were trying to lure Tig'ger into the trees where the pack would have finished her off and had her as their evening meal. 

Hence I hung on tight to her retractable leash which she was at the end of, racing back and forth in semi circles.  I now have an all new appreciation for why dogs are required to be on a leash. Had I lost my grip on it though, it would have been curtains for her.

At one point I thought they were going to come out onto the road with us, and could hear several coyotes in the distance, to the right of me, answering their call for backup.  I brandished a slingshot threateningly, but soon realized that I could not have used it to defend us without tying the dog’s leash to the scooter first.   Besides which, by the time I got a marble on the end of the sling shot’s pouch and aimed, they would likely have been on top of us.  The experience was a bit hair raising to say the least. 

Instead of trying to arm myself, I instead bellowed at them, doing my best Fog Horn Leg Horn impersonation of "Ah Shaddap" The prairie wolves suddenly fell silent, so after that I grabbed a hammer out of the back of the scooter and placed it on my lap and drove off.  I was feeling a little more confident that I could start swinging the claw hammer, and bonk them with it, but only should they strike first.

Tig'ger's leash meanwhile was drawn up close against my leg by then, and she proceeded to lunge and howl, while trying to turn and twist around to face whatever was behind us, which was the same reaction she’s had when trying to face another confrontational leashed dog we have travelled by in the past.    

I was really freaked out, as I believed they were in pursuit, and I kept looking at the rear view mirror, but it was getting very dark out and the mirrors, now useless. 

The coyotes I imagined could have crept along the landscaped hillside that is full of tall grass and bush where they would be hidden, until ready to ambush us.  On the other hand, I chide myself for being afraid, as I was glad that coyotes are generally not that brave, and thanked God for that.  Still I couldn’t help but think of the poor young woman in Cape Breton in 2009, who was killed by two coyotes.

Some animals attack a person if they show fear, or runs away from the danger, as the predator’s chase instinct kicks in.  Along with this if the creature is starving, sick, or rabid, they will likely cause harm.  However experts are baffled at the rising number of coyote’s assailing humans.

Most of the time though, people are bitten by these wild animals while trying to protect their off leash dogs that run unawares, head on into the jaws of the awaiting wild canids.  

Other times coyotes lose their fear of humans by either the direct or indirect feeding of them and sometimes will confront individuals walking their dogs on leashes and/or will stalk small children.  The latter of which happened in a park in Airdrie, Alberta at a Christmas Light up Festival in the evening of December 18, 2018.  

A six year old child was attacked by a coyote that lunged at the boy’s neck but couldn’t sink its teeth in because of the heavy winter clothing that protected him.  The boy was basically unscathed, and his Dad fought off his attacker.  With these news stories flashing through my mind I was aware of the danger we were in. Since then a 70 year old man was badly injured by a wolf in Port Edward, BC. 

Hence, I used my best secret weapon in my meager arsenal, a loud booming voice that normally scares the hell out of most humans and critters alike. 

About five years ago while trying out for a role in a Christmas play; a guy said that he noticed that I could throw my voice so well that I wasn’t in need of a microphone.  Little did I know that this voice throwing ability would come in handy once again.  

Moments later, this human and dog duo travelled a few blocks away unharmed and much to my relief a police car appeared out of the blue and drove by slowly.  He/They must have been on another call and probably heard the entire ruckus on the way back to the squad car.  I felt safer now, and didn't hear another peep out of the Wiley ones for the rest of the trip. 

We wound our way silently up the twisting, steeply hilled roads, with lights blinking away on my mobility scooter, as it purred and puttered on route safely home. 

Fast forward, three months later, having nearly forgotten about our scary coyote encounter, we went out once again at dusk. 

Alarmingly, I could hear several coyotes howling, yipping, and screaming right behind us.  They were on top of the hill, in an open field, and closing in.   I didn’t know the coyotes were even there until we got home and I had stopped the mobility scooter on the parking pad, ready to put it in the garage. 

Quickly I put my dog into the house and then grabbed my Monster Sound Superstar, bluetooth speaker and went looking for them, alone, on my scooter.  

Three of my neighbours were standing on the road, looking into that same field, as they had heard the ruckus too.  Apparently there were four coyotes originally, but they ran off at the sight of the human pack. 

I played coyote sounds on my phone, amplified by the mini speaker, figuring that wild canids would think there was a rival group answering, and would permanently drive them off.  Thankfully the wily ones weren’t about to approach four people, with or without strange canid noises, and disappeared into the enveloping darkness. 

Since this incident I read about Kyla Nelson who reported recently on Castanet that she had a terrifying encounter with a wolf that repeatedly charged after her and her dogs at Black Mountain.

It made me realize what a truly close brush with death my dog and I had had.

Doreen Zyderveld-Hagel, Kelowna