Coyotes are hungry in Haines, Alaska, my friends.
After an abbreviated Facebook storm about a small dog being hauled off and eaten by its cannabilistic canine cousins on Wednesday, there came this from a Haines Police Department Facebook post:
"At approximately 2 p.m. today a coyote attacked a small dog in the Piedad (Road) area."
Not to worry, though, it continued: "The dog's owner was able to retreive the dog, which had received several bite punctures, but appears to be OK. Dog owners in this area are being advised to use caution when your pets are outside."
It might be also be a good idea to keep your dog in sight at all times, or get a bigger dog. The average Alaska coyote weighs only 22 to 33 pounds and stands about 2-feet-tall at the shoulder, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The animal's main food sources are snowshoe hares, small rodents, and carrion, but they will also eat marmots, ground squirrels, muskrats, fish and just about anything else if it is available or they can catch it.
They rarely go after 50- or 60-pound dogs that can bite back. Cats are a safer bet. Or smallish dogs. The Haines victim was described as small, "a cocker spaniel type thing."