Devil Dog

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

An urban coyote in Minnesota is jumping fences and attacking pets. Five dogs are dead already.

Pet owners in Bloomington, Minnesota, don't just have nightly coyote attacks to fear. A song dog described as a "serial pet killer" by the Star Tribune has been catching and killing dogs in broad daylight, right from under their owners' noses. It's attacks were first reported July 28; since then, at least six dogs have been attacked, five of them fatally.
Bloomington lies just south of Minneapolis and southeast of St. Paul. Deputy Police Chief Mike Hartley thinks the coyote came from the nearby Minnesota River Valley, where the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge lies just south of Bloomington. Coyotes are semi-regular visitors but do not usually stay inside city limits.
Wherever it came from, this coyote quickly made itself at home on a section of Old Shakopee Road. All of its attacks have take place on a five-mile stretch of Shakopee, as well as another incident occurred in the area in February 2015. Whether the February attack was by the same coyote is anyone's guess.
Not only is the Bloomington coyote brazen enough to attack pets in sight of their owners, but it has also taken to jumping over fences to enter yards.
Dog food may be the attractant causing the attacks. The readily available food source is often left outside in backyards for pets to eat. Pet owners were cautioned to not intentionally or unintentionally feed wildlife, and to prevent garbage from being accessed.
Territoriality might also be leading the coyote to kill perceived rivals. Whatever the cause, the effect is the same. Hartley said the coyote will likely change pet owning in Bloomington forever. 
"If you see any coyotes, haze them—yell, clap or bang pots and pans together, creating loud noises to scare the coyotes away," the statement said. The idea is to create an experience that discourages the coyote from returning for a free meal.
The city is facing what many sportsmen have known for some time: coyotes are a growing problem in the United States' urban areas. Like white-tailed deer, coyotes are thriving in non-hunting areas like the concrete jungles and their suburban sprawl. Ultimately, residents may have to simply wait out the devil dog's reign of terror.Coyotes are proving to be both adaptable and deadly—a dangerous combination.
Urban coyotes are common in Phoenix, AZ. Generally, when the missing cat and or small dog signs start to show up we have a pretty good idea a coyote is involved. As in Minnesota there have been instances of coyotes attacking dogs on the leash as the owner walks the dog, usually the smaller breeds. Cats seem to be very tasty to coyotes and are easy to kill apparently.
Source: Sporting Classics Daily