Jessica Simpson's dog taken by coyote

[Cragar]

Take this from someone who knows , this is happening more and more every day. Watch out for your pets.




Jessica Simpson's Dog Taken by Coyote

Lots of people break big news over Twitter. For Jessica Simpson, the latest dish is nothing short of heartbreaking.

Simpson's dog, Daisy a maltese-poodle mix, was taken by a coyote yesterday, reports MSNBC.com. The 29-year-old singer tweeted about the incident last night. "My heart is broken because a coyote took my precious Daisy right in front of our eyes. HORROR! We are searching. Hoping. Please help!" she wrote on her Twitter page.

Simpson also posted a Twitpic of a "Reward Offered" poster featuring a photo of the carmel-colored pup and asking anyone with information about the missing dog to get in touch via e-mail.

"We heard yelling and screaming coming from the direction of Jessica's house around 9 p.m.," an unidentified neighbor told the Boston Globe. "I can only imagine that it was that moment that it happened because the next day we saw posters up around the neighborhood announcing that Jessica had lost her dog to a coyote. It's so sad."

The Boston Globe adds that it's not the first time Jessica has tweeted about Daisy. Last month, she wrote on her twitter page that Daisy was smitten with a dog named Bella. "Daisy and her best friend Bella back together again. Lesbian lovas forever!" she wrote.

 

[Big_D]

That is sad...I watch out for hawks at my place so they don't get my 7lb Yorkie.

 

[Cairo94507]

My heart goes out to her for this loss. We have a mini-dachshund and I built a completely enclosed pen for when she is outside which she can access through a doggie door to go outside when ever she wants. It has a heavy wired roof just to keep the hawks and coons out. I would die if my little girl were taken from us. When it comes to her, cost is not object.

 

[White92]

While sad, I'm not surprised. More and more people are building farther out on the edges of towns where the 2 worlds collide. I'm just as guilty. 7 years ago, I built here and would have deer and pheasant in my front yard. My dog was once sprayed by a skunk. Now the only thing left is the antelope herd.

 

[NSX-Stalker]

I dip my dogs in butter and hang US gov certified hawk bait around their necks and nothing like this ever happens.

Don't ever own a Jack Russell.

We have two left now. The first one died one morning when she was 16 and I swear to God when I told my wife she cracked a small sly Mona Lisa smile.

 

[NSXrebel]

Now if it was Jessica Biel's or Jessica Alba's dogs, that wouldn't have happened. BTW, they own Pitbulls. Perhaps Jessica Simpson should learn from them.

 

[sahtt]

Whew, to think this earth shattering event occurred and it took me nearly 8 hours to find about it!

In all seriousness though, that is pretty disheartening.

 

[Juice]

I took my dogs to my parents’ house out in the woods. They disappeared for a while but eventually came back carrying a coyote that was carrying another smaller dog.

Anything smaller than a tractor tire is just a squeak toy. :tongue:

 

[NSXLuvr]

I know I should be sad but I actually find it somewhat amuzing. Not for the dog:frown: - I just would like to see the Bimbo Jessica's reaction when it happened.

I don't think She realizes that the Coyote isn't going to return the dog for a reward. And specially not in one piece.

 

[swerve2007]

i don't blame the coyote- afterall if someone dropped some fluffy, soft and pretty smelling thing in your back yard, wouldn't you hit it?:tongue:

 

[nsxotic911]

I feel sad for her as we too have a maltese-poodle. I've seen a coyote in my neighborhood before, and recently there was a cougar sighting not too far... I suppose it might be a good idea to actually not let him wander too far from the house?

Picture is of when he was realy dirty

 

[Cragar]

Here is a list of some celebrities that have had their pets attacked by coyotes -

Jessica Simpson , Maltese-Poodle mix , 9/13/09 , Calabasas , California

Katherine Heigl , small dog ( no breed ), 8/29/09 , Los Feliz , California ( dog survived attack )

Ozzy Osbourne , Pomeranian , 7/9/09 Los Angeles , California

Paris Hilton , 2 Chihuahuas , 9/19/08 , Los Angeles , California

Kathy Lee Gifford , Poodle , 1/28/03 , Greenwich , Connecticut


This is happening more and more every day. Coyotes have been spotted in Central Park , LA , downtown Chicago and in many large cities. They are very adaptable animals that have evolved to live in close proximity to human activity. As they get more and more used to the presence of humans , just like bears , they start to lose their fear of humans.

This is where the problem starts.

Ask anyone who lives in ' bear territory ' about how they have to adjust their lives to co-exist with the bears. They have to make sure trash is properly secured in a 'bear-proof' containers. They keep bird feeders out of reach or don't have them at all. Any bears spotted are immediately hazed or driven off. Pets and small children are watched closely. Feeding of bears is forbidden. A fed bear is a dead bear. Once a bear gets food hand-outs it starts to lose fear of humans and starts to view humans as a non-threating source of food. Sooner or later it will attack a human when it does not get food scraps , then it becomes a dead bear. Bears need to be fearful of humans or problems will arise.

There are few places left that coyotes have not inhabited in the U.S. Because they are everywhere , we now , as a people , have to realize that we live in 'coyote territory' even if you live in a big city. Coyotes are known very well for their activities of stealth and cunning. This is a very wily predator that has adapted quite well to urban areas and their population numbers have increased significantly in the last 20 years.

A very good friend of mine was involved with a coyote study in Chicago a few years ago. They set out traps and captured coyotes , drugged them and installed radio locator collars with Illinois fish&game officials. The coyotes were then revived and set loose. What they found out after tracking these animals was just short of amazing. They had one female coyote that was caught on the western edge of Chicago show up on the eastern edge 2 days later. This totally baffled the researchers because there was about 500+ streets , traffic lights , intersections, highways and other obstacles to travel from point A to point B . As they trapped and released more coyotes more data came in and it started to make sense. One thing they found out was coyotes were using the median strips on the highways as a travel route. When the coyote came to a bridge abutment they would use water drainage piping to cross sections of no-mans land to get to the other side. This is how a coyote could get from one side of Chicago to the other while avoiding detection.

Very cunning animals who have learned to adapt.

Coyotes are on the prowl , probably in your neighborhood. One of the things they are looking for is housecats. They make easy prey. Most cats are well fed , sometimes lazy and have picked up less fear of dogs because they may have been chased a few times , got away easy because it was just a game for the dog or clawed or spit at the dog and ended the chase. Also some cats are declawed which makes them even easier to subdue. This makes it all too easy to get snatched up for the coyotes next meal.

Domesticated dogs are also on the menu. A lot of the smaller breed dogs are basically worthless to fight off a coyote. I have heard people refer to those type of dogs as 'bait-sized' dogs. Even larger dogs are at risk , a couple of years ago a 90lb Golden Lab was taken down a few towns away from here by a pack of coyotes. Occurrences happen a lot more often than you think as most are now becoming routine to animal control officers and the media is growing weary of reporting coyote attack after coyote attack. I get several phone calls a month from people with coyote problems some of these callers have had a dog snatched right up in front of them. These calls are very hard to deal with because you know they will never see their pet again.


What can you do ?

First you have to understand that you live in coyote territory and your life has to change slightly just like people who live in bear territory. Have any cats ? Lock them up in the house. Don't ever let them out again if you wish to see them grow old. I know this is very hard to do with a cat that has always had the freedom of the outdoors , but this is the only way to properly safeguard them. I know of a lady a couple towns away from here who picked up stray cats at the pound and kept them around her barn as 'barn cats' to keep away the mice. In 3 years she went through 20+ cats , coyotes kept eating them. The pound stopped giving her cats.

Don't let your dog roam unsupervised unless you have a tall ( over 6 foot ) fence that is very secure . If you do not have a fence the dog should be on a leash at all times with a collar adjusted tight enough so it cannot be pulled off the dog with reasonable force. Taking the dog out to do his business at night is even risker and you should have a much closer eye out than normal. I have a Jack Russell terrier , feisty little thing but small , good target for a hungry coyote. If I walk her at night I have a very firm grip on her leash just like I am prepared for a purse snatcher because a coyote will hide in the shadows and dart out and grab your dog faster than you would think. A lot of the coyote attacks happen in under 5 seconds from the point you see it coming to when it running away with your pet in it's jaws. It will happen that quick with very little time to react just like a purse snatcher.

Most people carry a pooper scooper when walking the dog at night. Leave it and carry a shovel instead. You can scoop poop with a shovel and you can also keep a predator at bay with a larger tool. There has been many documented cases of coyote attacks that the owner was able to pick up their pet to keep it away from the coyote and then the coyote focused it's attention on trying to steal that meal away from the owner.

On that note , coyote attacks on humans are still rare but slowly on the rise. We have a court case here in Connecticut where a woman was bitten by a coyote at a McDonald's rest stop on I-95. She is suing McDonald's because the employees had been feeding the coyote for several months. Again , don't feed the wild animals , it causes problems.

If you spot a coyote at anytime you should maintain a level of fear in that animal to avoid humans. Making loud noises , yelling , banging on pots and pans , spraying it with a garden hose , even throwing things in the general direction of the animal without hitting it are good to keep the fear level up so it will garner a negative association with humans just like hazing bears. Fear is good , fear keeps wild animals alive longer. The coyote that bit the woman at McDonald's was hunted down and killed by game wardens because it already had no fear of humans and the likelihood of another attack on a human was very real.


Watch your pets or they will become part of the food chain.

 

[queenlives]

a couple of months ago there was a story in the community paper about a family whose cat was killed / partially eaten by a coyote. about a week later @4:45 in the morning, our oldest son and i were leaving our neighborhood to go abalone diving with ken (chopsjazz) when, lo and behold, the coyote crossed the road directly in front of us. this was easily the biggest and healthiest coyote i'd seen in years and the first one in our proximity.

i let our friends / neighbors w/pets know about the sighting in the hopes they'd not lose their animals.

then, about 3 weeks ago on my morning bike rides i began seeing an increase in "lost pet" posters for smaller animals, both cats and dogs and i can't help but think the coyote is dining more frequently in the hood. (although being smaller critters they might simply find exit opportunities easier than larger animals would be able to.)

 

[passline]

Whew, to think this earth shattering event occurred and it took me nearly 8 hours to find about it!

ha :biggrin:

 

[nsxotic911]

Cragar - thank you for the very insightful information. I think I'm taking the shovel (or gun, knife etc.. ) on my way out with my little buddy right now I've seen a coyote in my neighborhood <nervous>

 

[Cragar]

Coyotes have upped their game. I am very sorry for this poor woman and her family. This is quite sad and a tragedy. My condolences.


Coyotes Kill Woman On Hike In Canadian Park

Taylor Mitchell Was Hiking Alone

ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Writer

TORONTO -- Two coyotes attacked a promising young musician as she was hiking alone in a national park in eastern Canada, and authorities said she died Wednesday of her injuries.

The victim was identified as Taylor Mitchell, 19, a singer-songwriter from Toronto who was touring her new album on the East Coast. She was hiking solo on a trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia on Tuesday when the attack occurred.

She was airlifted to a Halifax hospital in critical condition and died Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Coyotes, which also are known as prairie wolves, are found from Central America to the United States and Canada. Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft said coyote attacks are extremely rare because the animals are usually shy. Bancroft, a retired biologist with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, said it's possible the coyotes thought Mitchell was a deer or other prey. "It's very unusual and is not likely to be repeated," Bancroft said.

"We shouldn't assume that coyotes are suddenly going to become the big bad wolf." Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Brigdit Leger said other hikers heard Mitchell's screams for help on Tuesday and called emergency police dispatchers. Police who were in the area reached the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it. But the wounded animal and a companion coyote managed to get away.

Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said Mitchell already was in critical condition when paramedics arrived on the scene and had multiple bite wounds over her entire body. "She was losing a considerable amount of blood from the wounds," he said.

An official with Parks Canada said they blocked the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked and were trying to find the animals to determine what prompted such an unusual attack. "There's been some reports of aggressive animals, so it's not unknown," said Helene Robichaud, the park's superintendent. "But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic."

Mitchell was an up-and-coming folk and country musician who was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category. "Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman," Lisa Weitz, Mitchell's manager, said in an e-mail. "She just turned 19 two months ago, and was so excited about the future."

Additional Resources:

* Taylor Mitchell's Web site
* http://www.myspace.com/taylormitchellband