If you were to look outside your window right now, what would you see? For some people, it would be looking at the house next door and for others, it may be a picturesque scene, perhaps overlooking a lake or looking down from a mountain. In Indianapolis, a man by the name of Dustin Eckler has two dogs in his backyard and a pond. He often looks outside to see the dogs running around in the yard that is right next to the woods. Since the dogs can run and play outside, they often are able to do so for hours on end.
One day, Eckler’s neighbor was also looking out the window and he saw something that shocked him. He took pictures and showed them to Eckler, and now it is unlikely that the dogs will ever be outside again without being supervised. Of course, in the spring, it may not be as big of a deal because there are smaller animals out and about but for now, his dogs need some obvious protection.
It occurred on a January evening when the dogs were outside in the backyard. Two giant coyotes came up and met them at the fence and they weren’t looking very happy.
Eckler’s dogs are not small, with one of them looking about the size of a boxer. It is unusual for a coyote to go after an animal that is a similar size as they are but if they are hungry enough, they will attack pets. Then again, if there is enough food in the area, coyotes will live right beside domestic animals without any problem.
Many people aren’t aware of the fact that coyote populations exist in urban areas across the United States. They tend to stick to a natural diet, and they can even play with cats and dogs in some cases.
The January temperatures in Indianapolis are frigid and that drop in temperatures probably sent the typical animals that are prey for the coyotes into hibernation. The coyotes probably couldn’t find any food so they may have been out hunting and scavenging that evening.
Many people who saw the picture were doubting that they were coyotes and said that they may be some type of Wolf or hybrid. There is a large Eastern coyote that is a coyote-wolf mix and it has been reintroduced into the Ontario area. That large species is sometimes seen in New York, New Jersey, New England, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware. They may have made their way into Indiana as well.
It has been reported that there are more sightings of Coyote in Indianapolis.
It doesn’t matter if there are hungry coyotes in the area or not, it is always a good idea to keep your eye on your pets. That is especially true if they are a small animal and more susceptible to these types of dangers.