Boise woman’s dog was attacked by a coyote in the Hulls Gulch area – for 2nd time
The first time Barbara Henderson’s dog was bitten by a coyote, she chalked it up to the fact that she was hiking in the animals’ territory, on the Boise Foothills trails in Hulls Gulch. The second time, though, she became worried.
“My dog was in the backyard when he got attacked,” she told the Idaho Statesman. “It was eye-opening.”
Henderson said her dog, an 80-pound Spinone Italiano named Nino, was bitten “in broad daylight” while in her unfenced backyard northwest of the Camel’s Back and Hulls Gulch Reserve on Dec. 26. Henderson reported the incident, which left Nino with puncture wounds on his legs and feet, to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and took to Facebook to share with neighbors.
Henderson said she hesitated to post her story, which has received nearly 100 comments in the North End Facebook group, but felt obligated to warn neighbors. She believes the coyote that bit Nino was the same one that bit him in October while hiking on the Chickadee Ridge Trail.
“I don’t like to spread fear but within the last three months my dog has been attacked twice by this same coyote,” Henderson said. “Enough neighbors have had interactions (with the coyote) and been worried that it was worth saying something.”
Fish and Game conservation officer Steve Ross said it’s not possible to say whether the same coyote attacked Nino twice, but the agency is monitoring the area. Still, neighbors on Henderson’s Facebook post seemed familiar with the animal, with one commenter saying he’d mistaken it for “an escaped German Shepherd” before.
“This particular coyote is ungodly huge,” Henderson said. “I have seen him since multiple times. He’s not anything like the other ones I’ve encountered in Hulls Gulch.”
Boise is ‘on the edge of the untamed’
Henderson said when Nino was attacked in October, she had stepped off the trail to allow a group of mountain bikers to pass.
“What I thought was an aggressive dog comes after my dog and starts ripping into him,” she said. “Then I look and I’m like, ‘holy cow, that’s a coyote.’”
Nino was uninjured in that incident, and Henderson said she called David Gordon, the head of trail management organization Ridge to Rivers, to inform him of the attack.
Since October, she’s seen what she believes to be the same coyote numerous times, as have her neighbors. Henderson said she yells at the coyote to try to scare it off, but it seems unfazed. She said she hopes Fish and Game doesn’t have to euthanize the coyote and can instead relocate it.
“When I made that call (to Fish and Game), I knew what I was in for,” Henderson said. “But I don’t think he’s going to change, and we have tried different techniques to try to keep him away.”
Ross said Fish and Game plans to work with the public to try to avoid run-ins with Boise wildlife, including coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats and bears. He advised homeowners to supervise pets when they’re outside and avoid letting pets outside at night, especially unsupervised.
“No doubt it’s concerning to feel the need to protect your pets like this at your home,” Ross said in an email. “However, the reality is that Boise is nestled on the edge of the untamed.”
Ross also suggested homeowners and hikers carry pepper spray when on the outskirts of town to use as a wildlife deterrent. Since June, at least two other dogs have been attacked by coyotes in the Hulls Gulch area, including one that was killed. Ridge to Rivers has posted warning signs at trailheads where defensive coyotes have been reported, and the agency encourages dog owners to keep their pets leashed in areas with frequent coyote activity.
Henderson said Nino, whom she described as “a complete marshmallow,” is healing and had perked up a few days after the attack thanks to a rabies booster shot, antibiotics and rest.
“He was really sore for the first couple of days,” Henderson said. “I think he put up a fight.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
