By Eric Czarnik BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Local coyotes have a taste for terrier over roadrunner, according to a township resident whose dogs were allegedly attacked recently. Debbie Wisne was in her home near 16 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue when she heard a strange sound at 8:10 p.m. Jan 14. When she looked outside, she allegedly saw two coyotes attacking her two dogs, a Westie named Holly and a Lab and shar-pei mix named Moey. “The attack was so fast that the dogs didn’t bark,” Wisne said. “I ran out there, and they were trying to drag off my Westie. My other dog was trying to help her.” After Wisne chased the coyotes away, she took the dogs to the Oakland Veterinary Referral Service to treat their injuries. Holly had a torn ear and a wounded neck, while Moey had leg lacerations, she said. Emergency vet Karen Fidell, who was present during the dogs’ visit, said it was the first time she recalled seeing a canine coyote victim at work. “All the wounds were superficial, so the animals were very lucky,” she explained. “This is very common out West. It’s just not common around Michigan.” The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has no official numbers on the local coyote population, said Tim Payne, the DNR’s southeast Michigan wildlife supervisor. But he said they are common in the state. “When you look at southeast Michigan, I think almost every community has coyotes sometime,” he said. Payne said coyotes are usually afraid of people, but he said they get more territorial during mating season, which falls in January. “Right now, they’re probably more aggressive than they would be at most times of the year,” he said. “So it’s very possible that if somebody had an open field behind them, if they’ve got a den in there, they might be a little more protective of that.” If coyotes are hanging around a residence or being a nuisance, a resident can call a licensed pest control company to help, he said. Ron Baker, who owns an animal trapping business in Farmington Hills, said he gets lots of calls about coyotes, but rarely traps them unless they are attacking other animals. That is because they play a role in keeping rabbit and rodent populations in check, he said. Baker said coyotes are normally nocturnal creatures that like to stay near water and move frequently. “You may see them one month, and you may not see them for another six months,” he said. He warned pet owners against letting out their dogs at night. “They’re very opportunistic,” he said about coyotes. “If you let your Yorkie out there … the coyote is going to say, ‘Thank you very much.’” After her alleged run-in with the coyotes, Wisne said she had to spend close to $1,000 on her pets’ medical bills. She said the incident caused her to research coyotes and talk to her neighbors about it. While she said she has talked to Bloomfield Township police and animal welfare, she wishes they could do more to document the issue and spread awareness about it. “The police said you can’t trap, you can’t kill them,” she said. “I wasn’t going in that direction anyhow. I just want more information so other people won’t have to go through what I had to go through.” Bloomfield Township’s animal welfare unit said it needed permission to speak to the media. The unit would not comment by press time. You can reach Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586) 598-1058. |
