Coyotes snatch pet dogs during day | Lake Tahoe News

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August 19th, 2012 |
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By Jaclyn O?Malley, Reno Gazette-Journal

A Spanish Springs family remains haunted by the recent, grisly backyard discovery of their beloved three pet dogs? bodies ? viciously killed by a coyote.

?It was nothing short of a crime scene,? Tiffany Crook said of finding her dogs deceased Aug. 10 in the family?s backyard. ?The hardest part for me is I was home. I heard nothing.

?This coyote left our house with a full belly, and our hearts broken,? she said. ?Our dogs were a part of our family.?

Tiffany and her husband, Stephen Crook, said they want the community to learn from their tragedy and to take precautions against coyotes.

The couple thought the urban location of their home, their fenced backyard and the security of daylight were reliable safeguards against coyotes.

They were wrong.

?I know this won?t bring our dogs home but, if we can make someone keep a close eye on their pet or small children, our dogs? deaths weren?t in vain,? Tiffany Crook said.

The deaths of the Crooks? pugs, Henry and Emma, and Ellie, a Brussels Griffon, were among 13 dog deaths reported as coyote killings in Sparks during the last three weeks, said Jack Spencer Jr., supervisory wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Wildlife Services.

More have been reported maimed in coyote attacks, he said, but reports in Reno were not known or had not been made.

?If you live in downtown Reno, you probably don?t have to be worried,? Spencer said of coyotes. ?But if you live on the fringe of wetland habitat areas, like the edge of a golf course or waterway, that?s where they?re going to be traveling.?

Wildlife experts caution that coyotes can jump over backyard fences and eat small dogs who are left unattended. There have also been reports in the Lake Tahoe area of coyotes snatching dogs who were leashed during walks with their owners, biologists said. And while coyotes are known for coming out at night, they have been striking during daylight hours.

Coyote awareness, and eliminating food sources for the hungry, opportunist predators ? such as not leaving dogs and cats alone in yards ? will help prevent attacks on family pets.

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