Sault woman walking her dog has scary encounter with a pack of coyotes

Sault woman has close encounter with coyotes A Sault woman walking her dog late at night last weekend says she had a scary close encounter with a pack of coyotes. Cory Nordstrom reports

A Sault Ste. Marie woman had a close encounter this weekend with a group of coyotes -- and her small dog just narrowly escaped serious injury.

It started as a typical late-night stroll Saturday for Tracey Richards and her dog, Bud, a 14-year-old Jack Russell Maltese mix.

Then Richards got within a few feet of a pack of coyotes.

"I thought I saw a dog that sometimes roams a neighborhood that looks like a coyote, and so then we continued walking," said.

"Then we rounded the corner and then I saw another dog that I thought was a dog. Then all of a sudden I clued in because I looked to my left and I saw another dog, which I found out were not dogs."

Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources has a number of recommendations for anyone that encounters a coyote, including many that Richards followed.

First, never approach the animal, don't turn your back or run. Instead, calmly back away from the coyote, stand tall while waving your hands. And carry a flashlight.

Officials also say you should call 911 if a coyote poses an immediate threat.

"I actually screamed at the top of my lungs. It was a blood-curdling scream," Richards said.

"I started walking backwards with my dog -- and I put my arms up in the air to try and make myself look bad. And I kept screaming. And when I screamed, the one retreated. Then when I was silent, it was coming after us again. So I screamed loudly again. And then my husband and my neighbour heard me and my husband came to our rescue."

Richards credits being alert and not having headphones in her ears as reasons why she was able to react properly when she realized the coyotes were nearby.

She adds that in her 11 years in the Sault’s west end, she’s never encountered coyotes that close -- and hopes they’re not making their way closer to the city.

"We've seen many bears, deer, raccoons, foxes," Richards said.

"We've heard the coyotes howling, but they seem to be a little bit further than where we thought they were."

In the future, she said Bud’s final walk of the day will take place when the sun is still up.