Thanks for all your inputs everyone - I learn so much from each and everyone of you all time...!

Wow, coyotes will actually lay a trap for an ambush? Now, that's scary - I didn't know they were THAT intelligent!

There's been several incidents of foxes biting people and dogs already in the area. A woman and her dog escaped a coyote attack a few weeks back when she was taking a walk in a local suburb.

A link to the story that I mentioned above regarding the house where coyotes had taken over the backyard is at:

http://www.townonline.com/weymouth/news/local_regional/wey_newwncathycoyotes07092003.htm

I remember encountering a bunch of coyotes in New Mexico a few years back on a major highway (they looked more like hyenas to me!). Man, they definitely did NOT fear people! They looked at us like they'd chew us up if we didn't go into our cars - their howling was scary too!

I've read that a wolf's bite is about 1500 pounds per square inch and that a GSD's bite is about 750 pounds per square inch. I'd guess that a coyote's would be between the two and the fox's probably near the GSD's bite strength.

Of course, it's the rabies that's really dangerous and that's a good advice to ensure that all dogs are vaccinated against rabies.

b.

One of the people on the SAR team is a vet tech. She was just telling us Saturday about a Dalmation that came in her vets office. The Dal took off with a lone Coyote. When it hit the wood line, the lone coyotes partner was waiting. The Dal was nuetered on the spot when they double teamd him. This happened ten miles from downtown St. Louis. The're all over the place and have made the papers for grabbing small dogs out of yards.

Many years ago we where friends with the head of animal control in a fairly "rural" area in So. Califorina. They had periodic problem with the coyotes comming in around town. What he found that worked the best was to find an area they frequented and shoot one or two in the pack. It generally only took killing one to three over a couple of nights and they would pack up and leave back in to the hills. It worked well until the local liberals decided that it was too cruel. So they had to start trapping them and it never worked as well. They just kept comming back.

I've never had a problem with coyotes attacking my dogs, but I have lost cats to them. Back when I used to live in Missouri, people would go out regularly with the hounds & hunt them, & over a 6 year period in a rural area I saw only one, & never lost an animal to them.They were very people shy. Then I moved to California, & they are everywhere <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I'm not into killing things, but I'm all for shooting them if they threaten my animals.I had a Great Pyrenees who loved every animal but coyotes - he killed them when he could (he used to get out of the yard & go hunting with the hounds!), but as soon as he got old we saw them every night. The little bastards will come right up to the door <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
It's the same reason we have a problem with the mountain lions here - its illegal to hunt them, so they have lost any fear of humans & there are too many for the area. What people don't realize is that nature isn't pretty, & there are many worse deaths for animals than a bullet. When it's a choice between a wild animal & my animals, I'll chose mine any day.