Is a coyote-proof dog harness worth buying if you live in a busy city?
Review: Sheripet Coyote-Proof Dog Vest
There are up to 4,000 coyotes in the Chicago area, and the Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) receives approximately 450 service requests annually involving coyotes. But in 38 of 42 years (I went to two out-of-state colleges), I’ve never seen a coyote.
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I’ve never even seen one during my Girl Scout camping years, and that crew was definitely not afraid of hanging out in creepy, dark tents, starting fires from scratch, and finding creative ways to earn badges on campgrounds.
Recommended Read: “The coyote versus dog debate on NextDoor ~ 10 tips to keep your city dog safe while out on walks after coyote sightings”
So I went from being in disbelief to confused to wonderment about how I was supposed to react when a coyote ran a few feet away from my dog — who didn’t even bark to let me know. Meanwhile, my nose was snooping around in a free food bin.
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This is the same dog who has to announce herself to every dog she walks by and sizes up the people she encounters. This is the same dog who thumped a live rat across the head and chased another one through a parking lot. This is the same dog who I had to drag away from a skunk before it could spray us one day before Thanksgiving. But a coyote? All of a sudden, she’s Easy Breezy.
Still, I knew I would be dogsitting my mother’s much-smaller Shih Tzu mix, who has become known as the dog who tried to challenge a German Shepherd in the dog park. (In her mind, I truly think she thinks she’s a St. Bernard.) So we decided to put one piece of advice about dogs and coyotes to the test: investing in a coyote harness. Here’s how it went during my first walk with her and this new vest on.