Last week Marcella Raymond of WGNtv.com weighed in about yet another dog killed by a coyote. The wild creatures have moved back in to their previous environments – they just don’t seem to fit in as well as they did when Illinois was more nature sensitive.
The story Raymond reported on was two coyotes that were spotted travelling together between Washington and Jefferson Parks; close to University of Chicago. Although many may have been frightened, the good news was that no harm came from that small pack.
Right around the same time though, a woman that resides on the border of Aurora and Naperville reported that her dog was killed by coyotes. Before she could respond, the dog was removed from her yard. She heard her dog’s cries but was unable to get to the dog in time. It was, as all of these attacks have been, a terrible tragedy for this dog owner who loved her dog very much!
People weighed in on the story and the comments varied from supporting the coyotes’ rights to live to formulating plans that dog owners are able to follow in order to keep their beloved pets safe at night. When it comes right down to it, the public is not really shocked by this harsh scenario any more, but really should be more careful with other people’s feelings!
The reality is that coyotes were residents of Illinois land before people took over and destroyed their natural landscapes, however, now that we are aware of their re-entrance into our living areas, we must all be very careful! So when coyotes are spotted in Broookfield crossing 1st Avenue, in Justice, around townhomes in Naperville, in Graceland Cemetery on Chicago’s North Side, in the Village of Alsip, at Hiawatha Park, in Addison, we all need to realize that the coyotes have moved back in. It is a pain to have to alter the way that we work with our pets, meaning that we have to adjust our schedules to be with them – especially late at night.
We all just need to remember that we can’t just let our dogs out alone when they go out at night. If we own a yard, we must block off an area of the yard so that our pet can go out safely to do his or her duty. We must also follow the ordinances that many cities, towns and villages have formulated in order to alleviate these serious issues.
In the end, we must work together, report what we have seen or experienced, listen and watch for telltale signs. It would also be very beneficial if we had compassion for those that fall victim to a tragedy.
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