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Owner on high alert after dog
is attacked at Ponky
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
What began as
a typical early morning walk around the Ponkapoag Golf Course
last Friday ended in quite a scare for Bridle Path resident
Connie Daly and her sister, Stoughton resident Lisa Joseph, when
a large animal — now thought to be a coyote — attacked the Dalys’
dog, Katie, before chasing them the short distance to Daly’s
house.
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Katie is recovering
from her injuries. |
Although
initially convinced it was a red fox, Daly, whose backyard looks
out onto the 12th hole of the golf course, said she
now believes otherwise after looking at a photograph of a
coyote, which is substantially larger in size and can have a
pelt color ranging from grayish-black to tan, red or even all
black.
Daly said the
animal she and her sister encountered was similar in size to
Katie — a 50-pound Labrador mix — which is consistent with Mass
Wildlife’s description of a coyote. A red fox, by contrast, has
a shorter body length and typically weighs no more than 15
pounds.
But far more
important than the type of animal, according to Daly, is the
fact that it is still out there somewhere, perhaps suffering
from rabies or distemper, in an area frequented by hundreds of
people each day.
“I just think
that people around Canton should know because everyone walks
around there,” she said.
Fortunately
for the Dalys, Katie suffered somewhat minor — although no less
terrifying — injuries, including a two-inch laceration on her
snout and a quarter-sized bite on her inner thigh that had to be
sutured. She was treated and released from Canton Veterinary
Hospital on Turnpike Street within hours after the incident.
Nevertheless,
it was an experience that Daly and her sister will not soon
forget.
“It was
unbelievable,” Daly said, noting that the animal even stayed
behind her house barking for “at least ten minutes” after
chasing them home.
While she did
not see the actual attack on Katie as it occurred during the
small portion of her walk that she is allowed off her leash,
Daly became certain something was wrong after she heard what
sounded like animals fighting and then tried, unsuccessfully, to
call her dog.
“At first, I
thought maybe she was chasing a deer,” she said. “I was
whistling for her but she didn’t come. She never, ever doesn’t
come when I whistle.”
When Katie
finally did come, looking visibly shaken, that’s when Daly and
Joseph spotted the animal, standing in the woods no more than 15
feet away, staring at them.
“This thing
stared us dead-on and waited to see what we were going to do,”
Daly said.
She then
grabbed a “huge stick,” and as soon as the animal made its move,
the three of them took off running, going up a hill and over a
retaining wall before reaching the house.
Daly then
contacted the Animal Control Department, but the animal was gone
by the time the officer, Paul Bastable, arrived. Still believing
it to be a fox at that point, Bastable explained that he had
removed another fox a few weeks earlier from the same general
area, while an employee at the Ponkapoag Golf Course told Daly
that they had received multiple fox complaints in recent weeks.
Reached by
telephone Monday, Bastable said the culprit still could have
been a fox, especially a sick one, although he said it is
impossible to be certain as he was unable to locate the animal.
He said a coyote, on the other hand, would definitely go after a
dog Katie’s size if it was trying to protect its territory.
Either way,
Bastable said the biggest problem in that particular area is
that some of the golfers are interacting with the wildlife more
than they should. He added that the trash at the golf course
also serves as an easy source of food for the animals.
“This is just
another example of when wildlife gets too comfortable with
humans,” he said.
As for Daly,
whether it was a coyote or a fox, she now plans to keep Katie on
a leash and will probably stick to walking on the street — at
least until the animal has been caught. She also intends to buy
a good walking stick and encourages anyone who walks near the
golf course to do the same.
“I think it’s
going to be a while before I feel safe out there,” she said.
Then again,
having lived in a heavily wooded part of town for many years,
Daly has grown accustomed to seeing different animals, including
coyotes, and she understands that, for the most part, they
prefer to steer clear of humans altogether.
“I’m alright
now; I really am,” she insisted later that night. “I just feel
bad for my dog. She’s going to be very sore for a while.”
Below are some tips for
preventing conflicts with coyotes, adapted from Mass Wildlife’s
“Living with Coyotes” website. For more information, visit
www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw.
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Don’t let coyotes
intimidate you! Don’t hesitate to scare or threaten
coyotes with loud noises and bright lights. Don’t hesitate to
pick up small objects, such as a tennis ball, and throw them at
the coyote. If a water hose is close at hand, spray the coyote
with water in the face. Let the coyote know it is unwelcome in
your area.
Secure your garbage! Coyotes
will raid open trash materials and compost piles. Secure your
garbage in tough plastic containers with tight fitting lids and
keep in secure buildings when possible. Take out trash the
morning pick up is scheduled, not the previous night. Keep
compost piles in containers designed to contain but vent the
material.
Don’t feed or try to pet
coyotes! Keep wild things wild! Feeding, whether
direct or indirect, can cause coyotes to act tame and over time
may lead to bold behavior. Coyotes that rely on natural food
items remain wild and wary of humans.
Keep your pets safe! Although
free roaming pets are more likely to be killed by automobiles
than by wild animals, coyotes do view cats and small dogs as
potential food and larger dogs as competition. For the safety of
your pets, keep them restrained at all times.
Feed pets indoors! Outdoor
feeding attracts many wild animals to your door!
Keep bird feeding areas
clean! Use feeders designed to keep seed off the
ground as the seed attracts many small mammals that coyotes prey
upon. Remove feeders if coyotes are regularly seen around your
yard.
Close off crawl spaces
under porches and sheds! Coyotes use such areas for
resting and raising young.
Cut back brushy edges in
your yard! These areas provide cover for coyotes and
their prey.
July 23, 2009
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