Pets and Wildlife

Those of us who live in less urban areas eventually become familiar with the wildlife that is common in the area in which we call home.
Living in the interior forest of British Columbia, we have a wide range of wildlife just outside our doors. Bears are most common this time of year. Over the past two summers, we’ve had a grizzly bear try to break into our porch, a 450-pound black bear eating our apples and a young sow with her first cub visit our premises.
Coyotes proliferate just about everywhere and are a constant concern for our pets as it is not uncommon for coyotes to dine on domestic cats and will sometimes pack up to take down large dogs if left unattended. Even city dwellers are now learning to be cautious as coyotes adapt easily to human habitation and have moved into urban areas, becoming a threat to domestic pets there.
Stealthy cougars have been seen prowling in our neighborhood from time to time and they see anything that moves as prey.
Even majestic eagles are a threat to cats and small dogs. Even if they can’t fly away with a pet, they can inflict irreparable damage with their talons.
Don’t get me wrong, we value the wildlife, that’s why we live here. We love to watch the bears amble through the orchard and listen to the coyotes serenade on wintry nights. We’ve been privileged to watch a handsome whitetail buck courting three lovely does in our front yard. Nothing is more thrilling to hear elk whistling on the mountainside behind our home or to catch sight of a bighorn sheep running through our neighbor’s yard.
We are fortunate that wildlife is abundant here but what does that mean to our domestic pets and their safety? We can all live together quite nicely if we observe a bit of caution.
I used to let our little dog burst joyfully out the backdoor for his morning constitutional… but no more. Before I could stop him, he ran right up to huge black bear that had been visiting our apple trees. He actually ran the bear off, or maybe I did with my screams. All it would have taken is one swat from that giant, well-clawed paw and our little dog would have been gone. Now, I make him and my daughter’s two dogs, sit and wait until I’ve checked the yard in all directions before they are let out and I watch the sky for eagles too.
A few nights ago, we had a visiting skunk. Unfortunately a friend who was visiting from Vancouver didn’t know the protocol for taking the dogs out and simply opened the door, resulting in an encounter between a skunk and my daughter’s big wolf cross dog. Needless-to-say, this is one little animal we don’t want to stumble upon too often. To read more about this unfortunate meeting, go to:
http://pets-people-and-possibilities.blogspot.com You will also find a recipe for de-skunking your pets there and it’s one you’ll want to keep handy if you have skunks in your area.
Regardless of where you live be it country or city, caution is always the best way to avoid unfortunate encounters with wildlife. And if you’re planning on a camping trip this summer with your family pet(s), keep them close and don’t let them run loose through the countryside… for their sake as well as those fur folks who live there year ‘round'. Stay safe… be happy