PUBLISHED: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Coyote suspect in pet's death

By Frank DeFrank
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

Michele Render didn't see the predator that came into the backyard of her Richmond Township home and attacked her dog.
But she's convinced she knows what it was. "I've seen coyotes on my property before," said Render, whose 12-pound, 7-month-old puppy "Tootsie" was killed this week. "There's a lot of them there. They saunter across the property."
About 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Render let Tootsie out in the backyard. Normally, she watched the dog until it finished its business, and then let him back in the house.
But on this day, Render turned away for just a couple of minutes. When she returned, Tootsie was gone.
"They came in my yard and took my dog," she said. "I found (the body of) my dog. It was a mess."
Render contacted an animal trapper, who told her Tootsie most likely fell victim to a coyote attack.
That assessment sounds reasonable, said Sue Giroux, chief animal control officer for Macomb County.
"In Macomb County, the population is higher than in past years," said Giroux. "It's not surprising. We're getting a lot more complaints (about coyotes)."
According to a University of Michigan zoology Web site, coyotes are found throughout the United States and are adaptable to virtually any terrain where they find themselves, including forests, grasslands, deserts and swamps. Adult coyotes weigh from 15 to 46 pounds and can grow to lengths approaching 40 inches.
"Typically, they really want to avoid (human) contact," Giroux said, "but they're getting pushed out of places."
Humans exacerbate the situation by feeding wild animals, either intentionally or by leaving pet food unattended outside.
"Feeding them is a big deal," Giroux said.
The increase in the local coyote population may create more intense competition for food, Giroux said. The animals are carnivorous and 90 percent of their diet consists of small mammals like rabbits, squirrels and mice. That could have played a role if coyotes did attack Render's pet.
"Once those animals (normal food sources) are gone, they go to the next animals," Giroux said.
Encounters with animals like coyotes are part of living in a semi-rural area like Richmond Township, Render acknowledged. Still, she said, the attack on her dog was particularly brazen.
"For them to come (into her yard) like that, that is pretty odd," she said.
 

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