Look up Dayton Hyde's Don Coyote. He has written a series of books about taming, raising, and living with coyotes.
The guy who did my drywall bought a coyote pup and raised her as a dog until she came into heat. Then she took off. I'd think if you spayed the pup early, it might live well and long as a family pet.
We have wild coyotes around our tree farm and they do a great job on the mice and do no damage.
Thanks Rod!!
I bought the book and read it cover to cover.
Previously, during this thread, I kept asking "what is the difference between a coyote and a dog?" This book really shows how coyotes are affected by their upbringing. The author is very compassionate and raises three groups of two from the same litter. The first group was taken from their mom at just a few days, the second after their eyes were open, about 10-14 days in, and the last two were left with their mom. There was one female in the first group, and like Sandy, she became a close companion. He obtained the parents from a zoo and was able to keep them in an enclosure for the test.
There is also a wild one that he develops a relationship with.
With Sandy we only had the experience for five months and she was only one dog, so we can't draw any broad conclusions. The most interesting thing about her was her intellectual and emotional interaction with us, as well as learning about her hardwired behaviors. She sought us out, played tricks on us, understood what we were doing and wanted to be with us. She would ride happily for hours in the car, play endlessly with me out on the porch, wait patiently for us to get up in the morning to start the fun and initiate games of her design. She could also be indifferent, like a cat, and simply observe us as we looked for her and called. This is where I'm wondering how much of what we saw was simply hardwired behavior that we understood and liked vs. a true friendship where both parties reach out and seek the others interaction. Are they really as smart, fun and curious as it seems, or are they just wired such that they seem like it?
They are pack animals and want to be together at least some of the time. They are very curious and can plan ahead. They hunt and play together, etc. But they don't seem to want to please people as indicated by both Sandy and the ones in the book. Are they actually trying to interact with us or just hardwired to play with anyone or any animal that is around, as hunting practice? My best guess is smart, curious and independent. That seems to sum it up best.
An interesting example is that Sandy appeared to be housebroken. Never a problem in the car, truck or in the house. But was she really? Coyotes don't pee where they sleep or in their dens. It's a hardwired thing, not training or to please us.
In the end, maybe they will all eventually be wild and live with their own kind out in the open, regardless of their upbringing. And maybe while they are growing to that point of maturity, they are a bit harder to live with than a domestic dog. More wary. More independent.
It may turn out that they can be captivating friends and extremely interesting in their behavior. An emissary from the wild. Funny. Vulnerable. A fascinating dog that isn't quite what we'd expect from a dog. A relationship that cannot last and one that cannot be forgotten.
If I find myself out walking in the high desert and I hear a squeak from a helpless little pup, and I know what a fun dog that could turn out to be, and I'm concerned about her little life as she tries to hold on waiting for her mom, what will I do? In Sandy's case, she never stopped being vulnerable until she finally reached Southwest. She has never stopped enhancing everyones life around her. But maybe, the next time, I'll wander on and hope her mom is waiting for me to pass so she can retrieve her pup and raise her to become that beautiful song in the night. A thriving, wild, joyous adult, running with her pals. If I do wander on and leave her fate in someone else's hands or paws, I'll always wonder what happened.
