Uploaded November 2015 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The coyote pair got a little annoyed that we were out for a run near their territory. I was pushing my bike and slowly trying to honor their irritation by heading back home, all the while trying to get the dog going and film at the same time. Result: Dog and coyote tangle briefly and the film's really shakey. Sorry.
The sheltie dog I have, Tippy, isn't in this film. As soon as the coyotes made their presence known, she zipped home. But a few days later when we were out biking, she was lagging behind sniffing something, and I saw her get bushwacked by the coyotes. Rather mean-spirited, I thought, for them to actually go after the one dog that respects them more than the others. And then, to top it off, the exact same thing happened about a mile north of this spot, with a different coyote and the same little dog. So now I make sure she sticks with me (and she makes sure, too!)
None of the dogs are hurt in this--well, Tippy did get a nip in her thigh--but the coyotes are not out for a brawl: They simply want us to not get so close. (But it's the county road! We're all supposed to share! We all pay taxes.... :D )
One other time, years ago, I had a dog/coyote run-in. I was with the goats and dogs way up in the backcountry mountains, in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Area, and the dogs spotted some carrion of some sort. They were sniffing around when two huge mountain coyotes started after them, letting them know that that was their meal. The dogs, being ignorant fools, gave chase to one of the coyotes, not seeing the other. The coyote ran to its mate, and then the two of them turned and started chasing the dogs. One dog was fast, and easily ran from them back towards me. The other dog, a bit more porky, I saw was losing ground as the coyotes closed in. I watched with my heart in my throat, but when the coyotes caught up with her, they simply "rolled the dog" and sent her on her way. The dog got up and ran to me as fast as she could, and the coyotes stood watching (probably smirking). Those coyotes followed us, overlooking us on the ridge, for probably a mile. (That was up on the Glacier Trail on Burro Flats, going towards Gannett Peak.) Magical experience. I do believe that was the same day I saw two bear cubs on that boulder field with the switchbacks. Oh yes, and we got caught in a lightening storm on a high alpine meadow. Oh my.....fools.......
The coyote pair got a little annoyed that we were out for a run near their territory. I was pushing my bike and slowly trying to honor their irritation by heading back home, all the while trying to get the dog going and film at the same time. Result: Dog and coyote tangle briefly and the film's really shakey. Sorry.
The sheltie dog I have, Tippy, isn't in this film. As soon as the coyotes made their presence known, she zipped home. But a few days later when we were out biking, she was lagging behind sniffing something, and I saw her get bushwacked by the coyotes. Rather mean-spirited, I thought, for them to actually go after the one dog that respects them more than the others. And then, to top it off, the exact same thing happened about a mile north of this spot, with a different coyote and the same little dog. So now I make sure she sticks with me (and she makes sure, too!)
None of the dogs are hurt in this--well, Tippy did get a nip in her thigh--but the coyotes are not out for a brawl: They simply want us to not get so close. (But it's the county road! We're all supposed to share! We all pay taxes.... :D )
One other time, years ago, I had a dog/coyote run-in. I was with the goats and dogs way up in the backcountry mountains, in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Area, and the dogs spotted some carrion of some sort. They were sniffing around when two huge mountain coyotes started after them, letting them know that that was their meal. The dogs, being ignorant fools, gave chase to one of the coyotes, not seeing the other. The coyote ran to its mate, and then the two of them turned and started chasing the dogs. One dog was fast, and easily ran from them back towards me. The other dog, a bit more porky, I saw was losing ground as the coyotes closed in. I watched with my heart in my throat, but when the coyotes caught up with her, they simply "rolled the dog" and sent her on her way. The dog got up and ran to me as fast as she could, and the coyotes stood watching (probably smirking). Those coyotes followed us, overlooking us on the ridge, for probably a mile. (That was up on the Glacier Trail on Burro Flats, going towards Gannett Peak.) Magical experience. I do believe that was the same day I saw two bear cubs on that boulder field with the switchbacks. Oh yes, and we got caught in a lightening storm on a high alpine meadow. Oh my.....fools.......
