Here’s What Pet Owners Need to Know About Coyote Mating Season

If you live near wooded areas or have seen or heard more coyotes lately, this could be why.

I live out in Westport with a decent amount of woods around our yard. I have three big dogs and they always let us know when somethings walking around the yard. But with no snow (yet!) this year, it's been impossible to watch for tracks. Last year at this time we had some huge tracks (one of our dogs weighs well over a hundred pounds and these tracks are as big as his) coming through the yard and in some instances, right up to the fence around the house and pool (where our dogs hang out.)

I have no problem sharing our yard with the coyotes, as long as they don't mess with my fur kids. But if you have smaller dogs or cats that spend a lot of time outdoors or maybe you don't have a fence, it's good to be aware that coyote activity may be ramping up for mating season in the coming weeks.

A general rule of thumb: if you have tiny pets, don't let them out unsupervised at night. And don't feed the coyotes if you know they come through your yard - even if you kind of really want to, like me.