My Mom's Abigail

[Tambrey]

Abigail is looking better and moving better every day.....Mom is still making her stay in the machine shed in the nest area we made for her, and for the most part, Abigail is fine wiht that...she will greet Mom when she goes out to feed her...she will go out to do potty, although she has also gone to the dirt floor area of the shed, which is fine....

However, a couple of days ago, Mom said she went out that morning and saw paw prints around the porch, in the snow, and wondered how and when Abigail got out and where she would be...but when she opened the shed door, Abigail was there....but she ran out...sniffed the tracks and stood there barking and barking....went back inside....Mom was still mixing her food....canned with dry kibble, so she stood outside barking more....

My son said that when he and friends were hunting a few weeks back, they did see a coyote up in the cornfield south of my mom's house....

So I told Mom to be doubly careful and to please feed Abigail before dark...take her cell phone with her and just watch....
Actually, I would feel better if my son started going to take care of Abigail rather than Mom...

But I think we may have found whatever may have chased Abigail away, or kept her away, or maybe injured her in a scuffle on ice....with no blood or wounds, Abigail may have pulled a muscle or twisted something in a fight....we will never know for sure, just try to piece things together as best as we can....

[Traci]

Maybe an enclosed run would be better as opposed to just a fence. Mom could let her out when she's home to supervise etc.

[momPaws]

Tambrey- I would be concerned about Mom going out there alone at night, too. Do coyotes hurt ppl? In any case to be careful would not hurt.

[E's]

Coyotes are usually afraid of humans, but they definitely will go after cats and small dogs. However, I agree about Mom going outside alone. And does she remember to carry her cell phone? [I get lectured about that, and I just walk along lighted verandas in a gated apartment complex! Though of course I'm probably a lot older than your Mom ]

[Tambrey]

Traci...that is what we are thinking of...I say a fenced area, but more of a kennel run off of the south door of her house...that is what we did for Taz and Mystique, two of ours...we got 2 (free) kennels with 6 foot high panels and we used one side of the house and 3 panels down either side and 2 at the far end, it gives them a firly big area to run and play in....of course, somehow woodchuck and possum still manage to get in there

mompaws...E's is right that they are normally afraid of people and will run...and if it is a lone coyote, it may be sick or injured and more likely to attack out of character....I do not condone hunting, but my son and his friends do hunt, and my husband suggested that they set up outside Mom's shed one night and see what comes around....
We are also considering moving our wireless camera and VCR down there, set up the VCR and receiver and the camera facing outside and let it run overnight to see if anything come up

E's...Mom will be 70 this June...but she has been having alot of back and hip problems, so if a coyote came by, she would not be able to move fast enough to get away....
hubby said if that should happen (and a coyote comes too close), as hard as it would be, her best thing to do would be to let Abigail loose on it and let her take care of it...then get Abigail to the vet again!