Bobcats, Super Coyotes & Beasts: The Whole City Needs to Keep an Eye on Pets

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Hey Bobcat

We have had many, many sightings of bobcats and coyotes in our neighborhood, and I have personally seen the coyotes hanging out in two vacant lots like they were having a cocktail party. I have videoed them. My husband even saw some near City Councilman Lee Kleinman’s home a few evenings ago. Neighbors have lost countless cats and small dogs. I now go out with our 50 lb. Doodle at night to keep her safe, and am considering a CHL just to protect my pets.

Because we came home from vacation to find this note on our door.

I need to call the folks who dropped it off and thank them. We happened to be in Lake Tahoe, staying at a home in Northstar. On Mondays you are asked to put the garbage out on the street for trash pick up. But in Tahoe, I was acutely aware of the really big critters who plague homeowners there: bears.

chunky-bear-3

That’s why, when the door to our house opened eerily while we were upstairs packing, I did a mad bear search in every room after reading about bears ransacking local homes and cars.

But this poor family in Oak Cliff says a “super coyote” (perhaps as big as that chunky bear?) picked up a family’s pet dachshund, Lola, who then suffered a punctured lung and had to be put to sleep. Poor Lola.

Dallas is finding a proliferation of coyote, bobcats and other wildlife in many woodsy neighborhoods, and experts say it’s because of the large squirrel population. Which I personally am thrilled to part with. Wildlife expert Bonnie Bradshaw with 911 Wildlife, a local animal removal service, says the maximum weight of a coyote is about 35 pounds.

But then, a neighbor took a photo of this creature a few months ago a few steps from our yard.

Bobcat Ricks

Looks like he is more than 35 pounds. I wonder if the coyotes and bobcats are enjoying a growth spurt, especially in our squirrel-icious neighborhood.

 

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Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

2 Comments

  1. Susan Melnick on July 23, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    There are definitely some animals well over 35 pounds combing our area. And Lola was the second dog we know of that became the victim of a coyote. The last one we saw was bigger than my German Shepherd.
    Hopefully a few can get “relocated”…

  2. Beth Leath on July 23, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    The feral cat population does not seem to be affected in my neighborhood

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