Coyote kills Sun City dogs

A coyote has been blamed for the death of two Sun City dogs after being caught standing over one in the backyard.

Ladeana Hammonds said she came home from an errand July 19 to find her two chihuahua mix dogs had been killed by a coyote and caught it just after the act.

“When we came home the dogs didn’t greet us,” she said. “We found a coyote standing over one. I looked out the door and he was just staring back at me. We couldn’t find the other dog, but my husband later found it behind the golf cart.”

The dogs, Daisy and Stella, were in the home when they left. They found a broken hinge on the screen door of the Arizona Room, which the dogs had access to through a doggie door, and blood inside so they assume the coyote broke into the room to get to the dogs at their home on West Gulf Hills Drive, near Boswell Boulevard and Bell Road.

“They absolutely did go into the Arizona room after the dogs,” she said. “I’ve seen them occasionally, but never in my yard. It’s so hard to be here without them and I work from home so they’re constantly missed.”

Darren Julian, an urban wildlife specialist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said this time of year coyotes and other wildlife can become a bit more aggressive as they tend to their cubs.

“A lot can happen right now,” he said. “Adults may still be taking care of their young or training them to hunt. It just depends on the circumstances and how much effort for the reward. If there’s no risk, but potential of reward they’ll keep coming back.”

Even standing over the body of the kill does not necessarily mean the coyote is the killer, he said.

“We’ve also seen issues with feral dogs killing other dogs and the coyotes following behind them and cleaning up,” Julian said. “Dogs will kill other dogs, but coyotes generally kill for food.”

He said he doubts that is the case in this instance, however.

“Sun City has been synonymous with urban coyotes since it was established,” he said. “It was in the middle of nowhere at the time and along two wildlife corridors. Over the years, they’ve gotten less and less afraid of people.”

Most coyote prevention information shared involves using loud noises to scare the animals away, he said. Tut that may not be as effective as it has in the past because coyotes become more accustomed to the noises associated with humans.

“They’re there. They’re comfortable. And we need to push back. Animals that are accustomed to that may walk away, but one of the ways we feel to be effective is a (high-pressure water gun) filled with 10 to 20 percent ammonia diluted with water. It’s an irritant they’ll remember.”

The ammonia will stay with them a few days and irritate their mucus membranes with a burning sensation. He said they’ll remember the location and the feeling and are unlikely to return. It also helps increase their fear of people again.

Fortunately, he said, coyote attacks on humans are rare. Those that do occur typically result from someone feeding the animals. The last attack by a coyote on a human was in north Phoenix near Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in December 2023 and feeding the animal was suspected. Four coyotes were killed during the investigation.

“I don’t know if there has ever been a coyote attack on a human in Sun City,” he said. “If there has been, it’s been a very long time ago.”