A Neighborhood Disturbed––

Two Coyotes Rush Dog-Walker

By Dottie Evans

Susan Cameron of 14 Currituck Road makes a habit of walking her dog “around the block” most mornings around 7:15 and her route seldom varies.

She and Peppe, a 37-pound gray standard poodle, head out the front door, go down the driveway, and then turn right on Currituck. They turn right again onto Hall Lane, and then right once more onto Hanover Lane. Usually they go as far as the Soldiers and Sailor’s Monument before heading back home again up Currituck Road.

This early morning ritual produces few surprises, except for the occasional squirrel darting out or some watchful barking by neighborhood dogs as the two pass by.

Lately a major change has occurred, however, along Hanover Road, since a developer has cleared a large wooded area to build three houses on a steeply sloping hillside. Ms Cameron was sorry to see the trees come down, and she said she had wondered about the animals that might have been affected by the loss of habitat.

Usually, their morning walk is uneventful, and she and Peppe are back home within 30 minutes, ready to start their day.

Ms Cameron, an interior designer, works part-time at Lexington Gardens and is a volunteer with the Newtown Ambulance Company. Peppe is a handsome and favored family pet, and when exercised and relaxed after her daily walk, she is quite happy to spend her day at home.

On Wednesday morning, July 2, the comfortable calm of this routine was shattered.

Two Coyotes

Came A-Running

Ms Cameron and Peppe were walking along Hall Lane when the unexpected happened.

“Two coyotes, about the same size, came out of the woods heading right for us. It was very scary. I immediately thought this was a pack mentality thing and they were after Peppe,” Ms Cameron said.

“I do know that a neighbor on Sunset Lane lost a cat a week ago,” she added.

She thought the coyotes had been on the Fallon property before they ran out onto the street.

The next thing she knew, the Fallon’s dog, a black lab named Shadow, came running and barking after the coyotes, so they “veered off” at the last minute and took off into the woods.

“I think he was the hero of the day,” she said, speaking gratefully about the burly lab owned by Christopher and Valerie Fallon of Hall Lane.

She was not sure whether the Fallon’s dog, who is not penned in, had scared the coyotes first, causing them to charge out in her direction, or whether the coyotes had purposefully rushed at her, and then been stopped midcharge by Shadow’s barking attack.

Since so much of the woods on Hanover Lane has been cleared for the new houses, other neighbors have noticed a pair of coyotes wandering through their back yards, though this is the first time the coyotes have exhibited aggressive behavior.

“We’ve seen them in our own yard lots of times, by the rock garden, or crossing the road. I think they were living in that woods and now they’ve been displaced. The woods was their home,” said Hall Lane resident Sherri Baggett, when she was told about the incident.

Territorial Issues

Paul Rego of the Wildlife Division of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was not sure whether aggressive behavior on the part of the two coyotes might have been the result of territorial instinct, “if it was, indeed, aggressiveness in this case.”

“Coyotes typically use a large area, even square miles, for their territory and I would be surprised if having a subdivision go in would effect their behavior. But losing that woods might have meant their routine was changed somehow,” he noted.

He added that the DEP had received “many reports over the years of coyotes being particularly interested in dogs and coming near them,” whether because of curiosity or because of territorial instincts.

“Usually, the coyote is interested in a dog and ignores the presence of a human nearby. Certainly, there have been cases of coyotes attacking dogs. It’s a variable situation,” he added.

“For most of the year, coyotes stay in a family group and it is a little early for families to be breaking up. The pups, born in March and April, are just starting to become independent,” Mr Rego said.

In general, the wildlife specialist said that coyotes have adapted very well to the presence of humans and have been known to wander into residential areas. He advised any dog-owners to walk their animals on a leash and supervise them closely.