Local family warns of coyote that killed beloved dog (Hendersonville: house, neighborhoods)

[RedJacket]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A coyote attack has one local family on edge after it killed their family dog.
The family, who lives in the Crieve Hall area of south Nashville, wants neighbors to be on the lookout.
Thursday night, Linda Watkins said she let her dog, Pippen, outside, like she always does, but he never came back.
"Anyone who has pets knows they're members of the family. It just broke my heart. I loved him, loved him very much," Watkins told News 2.
Pippen was a member of the family for 15 years. A family friend later found him in a neighbor's yard.

Local family warns of coyote that killed beloved dog - WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |

I had no idea those critters were in Tennessee.

[YallWantHam]

Something like this happens literally every year. It's sad but it's not surprising

[DonCorleone]

I spotted a coyote that had been killed by a car in Hendersonville (Long Hollow Pike) just a few weeks ago. They're out there...

[bmrisko]

We have coyotes in Brentwood (area around Edmonson & Concord Roads) all the time. Not surprising at all...

[littlegto]

I have no knowledge of coyotes, so forgive my stupid questions...

What are the dangers? How do you handle this? I will be moving to Mount Juliet (if this house EVER closes finally...) and I am a bit worried about the coyotes!!

[YallWantHam]

Coyotes aren't really that dangerous to adults. They aren't as big as wolves I don't think, but they also aren't as fearful of humans as wolves are. You only need to worry about them if you have a small pet or a small child that plays outside. Still, I played outside pretty much everyday when I was younger and lived in a neighborhood that always had coyote sightings and I never once saw one or heard of anything bad happening to anyone, aside from small dogs being occasionally attacked. I really wouldn't worry about it that much

[littlegto]

no pets here... just an (almost) 3 year old and i will be outside with her when she is playing. The house we are buying also has a fenced yard. Do fences help?

[rossc]

Coyotes aren't much of a problem. Coydogs can be though. They are the offspring of a male coyote and female domestic dog. They have the "street smarts" of a coyote without the natural fear of humans. I don't know if there is an issue with them here. We had a problem with them when we lived in NH.

[Southerner1]

I saw a litter of 4 foxes in my neighborhood this week. I'd seen an adult fox in my neighborhood before this. Seeing the 4 little foxes was a surprise. What do you do about foxes and coyotes in neighborhoods? Seems like they need to be relocated to wildlife areas.

[BirdieBelle]

Foxes haven't caused problems for us, so we leave them alone. They are beautiful, and seem pretty skittish. The foxes are pretty common and can be a danger for cats, I guess. One night I heard this horrible weird screaming outside my bedroom window, which was on the ground floor. I looked out just in time to see a fox running out of the spotlight, and I guess he had caught a little rabbit.
I've seen the occasional coyote but never had a problem. I've never heard of one attacking people. Yes, a fence will help.
There is a lot of wildlife here, but it's not like every day we're fending off attacks from creatures.
The biggest wildlife problem I've had is property damage from &@!$ squirrels chewing on the eaves of the house during winter, trying to get into the attic. My in-laws had a skunk get under their house, which required professional help.
Also, if you call one of those "critter getter" guys, get LOTS of quotes. I had an elderly neighbor who was billed $560 by a critter removal service to get a little possum out of her crawlspace. My husband could have gotten him with a fishing net for free!