Found a coyote, I think

   / Found a coyote, I think #761  
Wow. What a great story.
Great thread. For the most part.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think
  • Thread Starter
#762  
Thanks /pine.

I'm working on it.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think
  • Thread Starter
#763  
Good Morning all!

It's been about 2 1/2 years since I posted here about our lovely coyote, Sandy. We visited her again a few days ago and here are my thoughts about it:

Every time we see her, it is an emotional experience. She brought so much joy, creativity and intelligence to the party, that it has been hard to not be able to play with her and live with her. Each visit is different and telling in its own way. She is older now, at ten, with no more than eight to go. And losing her partner has made her less stable, troubled, nervous. The days of a sparkle in her eye, a mischievous bent, as we played and schemed, are waning. Instead of the joy in every moment and willingness to always play, she is now more lost, more distracted by loss and confinement. And there is nothing we can do to help. If we lived closer, we could volunteer at Southwest and rekindle the earlier joy, play with her and give her treats. But it won't happen. No dog has ever touched me like she has. Or taught me as much as she has. No dog I've known has lived a life so fully, or so close to the edge as her. When she was with us, she could have been taken by Animal Control at any moment, and destroyed. She could so easily have been shot by those who hate coyotes and don't have the ability to understand them, or care. We could not get medical help for her, shots for her, or even keep her on our property legally. And yet she was joyous, in the moment, scheming, and so much fun. Aside form the friendship, I studied her carefully, documented her development, and watched her interaction with people and other dogs. She is a dog in every respect, except for being more wary and independent. And, of course, much more intelligent. She communicates perfectly with other dogs, can have pups with normal dogs, understands dog hierarchy and pack behaviors and seeks to mate for life. But never was dangerous to us in any way. At our place, she was not tied up or fenced in, she went camping with us, rode in the car, visited friends, went into restaurants and markets, understood many commands, and was always challenging us to games she invented. I practiced my howling, or singing, to match her, but it made her nervous. She loved to eat rabbit, and I tried to train her to hunt for them, but she didn't show much interest. Because we rescued her, at two days old and frozen to near death, she was considered disabled and could not be released. But she was physically perfectly healthy in every way. So she will live out her life at Southwest Wildlife in Scottsdale, AZ. She had a huge affect on me and will live in my memory for the rest of my life.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think #764  
Thank you for the update. Sorry Raspy lost her boyfriend.

Was she spayed? I think you did everything exactly right, too bad she is a little lost now.

Your story makes me wonder why wolves became dogs and not coyotes or foxes. These foxes became dog like in only a very few years

 
   / Found a coyote, I think #765  
John, thank you for this very moving update on Sandy. You have told her remarkable story very well over these years, with humor and sensitivity, yet always with respect for her as a sentient and independent creature of the wild. I'm sure that, through you, her story has touched many hearts.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think
  • Thread Starter
#766  
Thank you for the update. Sorry Raspy lost her boyfriend.

Was she spayed? I think you did everything exactly right, too bad she is a little lost now.

Your story makes me wonder why wolves became dogs and not coyotes or foxes. These foxes became dog like in only a very few years

She was spayed about a month or so after arriving at Southwest. Breeding them is completely outside what they do as a rescue organization.
Thanks for the fox link. This looks like the second step in the Russian fox experiments that developed tame foxes.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think
  • Thread Starter
#767  
John, thank you for this very moving update on Sandy. You have told her remarkable story very well over these years, with humor and sensitivity, yet always with respect for her as a sentient and independent creature of the wild. I'm sure that, through you, her story has touched many hearts.
Thanks for the kind words.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think
  • Thread Starter
#768  
Earlier, in my quest to learn about Sandy, and coyotes in general, I looked for stories from others that had experiences with them.

One day a neighbor mentioned that her father, then in his mid nineties, had had a coyote as a boy. I asked her for more information and she said she would ask him about it.

A couple of weeks later, I ran into her again and asked excitedly if she had talked to him. Her response was disappointing at first, as she said he didn't want to talk about it. I dug further and asked why. Her response touched me in a way that I will never forget, and in a way I totally understood. In a way that revealed his emotions toward his coyote very powerfully. I knew immediately that he had experienced something similar to my experience, but it had ended worse.

In his early teens, he had formed a friendship with a coyote, the details of which, only he knows. Eighty years later, in his mid nineties, the memory was still so powerful and painful, that he was unable to open up and talk about it to his own daughter. I knew instantly that he had bonded with that dog and also, that something terrible had happened to it. This was the kind of ending I became more and more concerned about as time went on with Sandy. On one hand, a joyous friend, so fun, alive and unusual. And on the other hand, danger lurking that could be triggered by her joyous behavior. The important difference between her and a normal dog, is that people have experience with dogs, and love them. People are taught to be afraid of coyotes, or to kill them whenever possible, or to blame them for problems they may or may not have caused. Killing contests are arranged to see who can kill the most of them. People shoot them for fun. Imagine if no vet was allowed to help your pet dog with a medical emergency, as they cannot with coyotes. Imagine if Animal Control authorities could come and take your dog away at any time and kill them. Imagine if your neighbors were looking for opportunities to shoot your pet dog, just because they could, or for fun. This is why she had to go and live at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, 600 miles away, instead of staying here, with her pack.

Being at Southwest has had its benefits though. Many people see her and get an idea about who she is, as she, until recently, would come to the fence to meet them with a twinkle in her eye. She has had excellent care and had a partner until Shorty died. They are now considering who to introduce her to next, as coyotes are very particular about choosing a mate.

So, the story is not over and we will see her again.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think
  • Thread Starter
#769  
Reviewing this thread again. Hope you are all doing well.
 
   / Found a coyote, I think #770  
Hi John - Glad to see your post. Wondering if Southwest Wildlife has been able to match Sandy with a new companion.

I just visited their website. Very nice pics of their five coyotes, including your girl! What a great organization.
 
 
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