I grew up in an idyllic spot, directly adjacent to the 76 acre Dobbs Ferry Juhring Estate Nature Preserve, yet never saw much of any interesting wildlife. That all changed about 15 years ago. As more development in Dobbs Ferry occurred, particularly near areas of the Juhring Estate which had seen little previous human contact, more and more of the interesting, yet shy, wildlife population was pushed out to the borders of the Dobbs Ferry owned property. Now, I have a herd of deer sleeping on my front lawn at night. Wild turkeys brazenly walk down my driveway on Thanksgiving. A brown fox eats my neighbors garbage. Coyotes as well have been spotted in Dobbs Ferry and the Rivertowns. One report had a large one walking across Broadway, at the Hastings-on-Hudson border, recently.
The NY DEC put out an interesting bulletin that is required reading for anyone concerned about coyotes. In most cases it appears they are more afraid of us than we should be of them. Not always though. With winter upon us and the prospects for food in the “wild” diminished, the following excerpt might be something to take note of:
“Owners of large and medium sized dogs have little to worry about. Coyotes, with an average weight of 35 lbs., know they are overmatched by large dogs and will yield part of their territory (your yard) to the dog. A confrontation may occur between a mid sized dog and a coyote. Such confrontations, however, usually do not involve physical contact between the two animals. The dog and coyote usually come to an understanding on whose territory is whose.
Owners of small dogs have cause for concern. The outcome of a confrontation between a small dog and a coyote will depend a lot upon the behavior of the dog. A coyote knows it is physically superior to a small dog and expects the dog to be submissive. Trouble occurs when a small dog does not submit to a coyote. The coyote will discipline the dog to correct its inappropriate behavior. This discipline will continue until the dog submits or is eventually killed.
Very small dogs, e.g., small poodles, are viewed by coyotes as easy prey and are at risk to be killed year round.”
Read The Full Article at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6971.html
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Filed under: Local News | Tagged: Coyotes, Dobbs Ferry, Dobbs Ferry Real Estate, Hastings-on-Hudson, Juhring, Juhring Estate, Scott Rosasco | Leave a comment »
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