Friday, June 5, 2009

Dog Day Afternoon



When I was walking home from work last night, in the dark, I could hear the coyotes on the mountain across from my house. Their howls sounded distant and sweet. I was not bothered. I walked home at a pretty slow pace, enjoying the night air.
This evening as I was taking the trash out to our back fence, I could hear the coyotes again. This time they were closer....much...closer. They were really raising a rucus, howling & barking, about 1/2 way down the mountain. Maybe more. I was really glad our yard is completely fenced in, although I don't think a fence would stop them. I wondered why they had come down so close to the road. I was wondering this as I picked up my pace and ran back into the house.
Coyotes are not cute. They are fast and they are vicious. If you doubt me, enlarge the photo (no, not the cartoon, you moron). Suddenly, the bears that wander down from the hills don't seem that bad.
Have a great week end, I'm dog tired & going to bed. xo

21 comments:

Dominica said...

Ad there's no roadrunner to keep you guys safe ?(saying this with a stupid look on my face)...
....
No, seriously - that's one hell of a mean dog !!
Wouldn't like to come across those teeth !!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Holy crap!!! That is very scary! Be careful out there. xo

Baybay Mama said...

I am so jealous that A. You walk home from workd and B. You are in the wild!

SkylersDad said...

We have a lot of wildlife in our area also. I know a lady that had two terriers and one of them was taken by a coyote. She actually saw it come over the top of their 6 foot fence to get her dog, it was horrible for her.

diane said...

Dominica: I bet the "wolves" in your town are a different variety.

Joanna Jenkins: Thanks, I don't think I'll be taking any more night time walks.

Dooder City: I would like to extend an invitation for you and your boyfriend to jump in your mini cooper and come down for the week end sometime. We live about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from the city. E-mail me and let me know. (I'm taking it for granted that you still have my e-mail address)

SkylersDad: That's a sad story about your friend's terrier. I used to have a jack russell, and I think he could have kicked any coyote's *ss.

James Jean said...

Yea, that coyote isn't too attractive..and I didn't need to see the bigger version to realize that. Just remember to carry some mace at least if you aren't already lol

Green-Eyed Momster said...

We have them here too! They are not cute or cuddly. Our yard is fenced to but it doesn't keep out the skunks or raccoons. Maybe the Full Moon brought them out. I sure hope you saw it....It's been pretty!

Hugs!!

Ann said...

I feel ya. We have wild gators and a lot of snakes. Fun. :/

Anonymous said...

Very well written. But sounds extremely scary!

Best
Bec Wonders

Cait said...

coyotes in your area. Wow.

My great grandmother has been complaining about the fox and the javelenas(which I can't spell) in her area in Texas. It seems these critters are getting more prepaired to move in, or something. Very scary.

Thanks for the note. Yeah, my Dad is really wanting a new toilet. My Mom..a new bathroom would be better, but she'll take what she can get.

diane said...

JFK Jean: Thanks for the advice. Mace is every mountain girls best friend. Common sense tells me to take the car.

TraceyTreasure: Oh! Racoons! I had to chase one out of my yard the other night. He made a mess before he left.

Ann: I used to live in Florida, a whole other ball game there. I hated the gators and the snakes and the palmettos and the fire ants.

Bec: Thanks for the compliment. I have to admit, I didn't want to be outside alone after that.

Cait: Javalenas sound pesky. We had squirrels living inside the walls of a house we were at when the kids were little. Once they find a way in, it's so hard to get rid of them. Ground hogs are a lot like that too. We had one living underneath our garage, and it took forever to get rid of him.

Marian said...

darling please be careful out there, it sounds beautiful other there. amazing wildlife!
darling hope your weekend is going well.
Thank you for your lovely comment on my lurex top. I adore thrifting when If you find bits that you like that are the wrong size just re-purpose it if possible.
muah xx
Marian

NIKI said...

Sounds cozy and relaxed to me, hearing them coyotes when walking home after a hard day at work.

diane said...

Marian: You are too kind to think that I'm talented enough to re-purpose anything. I'm good enough for some diy projects, but that's about it.

I'll be careful.

NIKI: It was relaxing, when they were at a distance.

Girl Interrupted said...

It's hard for me to appreciate what it must be like to have something like that on your doorstep, we don't have any wild animals like that here, the only thing you have to worry about here is pissing a badger off ... and they have such fat bums you can easily outrun them.

Hope you get a good night's sleep and have sweet dreams (coyote-free) xx

diane said...

Girl I: I wonder if England is like France, all "hunted out". Those frenchmen would eat anything that wasn't nailed down. They would forage and hunt. Pretty cool, actually.

gh said...

I like your short story very much. Although it sounds a bit scary, I would welcome those sounds to the sirens and car horns and ocassional stragler walking around these city streets at night.
It reminded me of a time when i was walking alone in an open field here in Brooklyn as the dark was coming in and i suddenly found myself surrounded by a pack of wild dogs that had come out of the surrounding brushes. . .

diane said...

Gary H: You have got to be kidding me! That is really scary.

Anonymous said...

Rather you than me!
All I have to worry about are raccoons possums feral cats and the occasional raptor that swings through.
there are coyotes to the south of us occasionally we have an attack in a school yard, but I've never heard of them going after a full grown human.

diane said...

knittenkitten: Raptors and a school yard attack are enough to keep me away, Yikes!

Jack Daniel said...

I´d be super scared if I had those kinda animal in my neighbourhood...i´d take a gun if I was you...just to shoot in the air to scare ´m off of course...