When Will They Ever Learn?
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
United States
May 23, 2016 12:48am CST
Some months ago I was invited to join a website called Nextdoor. It is a way for people who live in a neighborhood to share information and to spread the word when something is going on. I joined and find it quite informative.
But one thing I discovered is not very pleasant. I just found out that some people have to learn the same lesson over and over. They don’t retain anything. There is also no such thing as doing research before people move into a neighborhood. They do not learn from history. Every new event in their lives is new to the world, or so they think.
In the last three weeks or so, neighbors in this very wild area have been horrified that there are coyotes here. They are shocked to learn that little dogs and cats that are left on their own outside are eaten. I am horrified too. What shocks me, however, is that this is news to them.
I have known about coyotes in California since I was a small child, many decades ago. I knew that we should not leave food or water outside, because this will draw them close to our homes. I knew that a couple of big dogs are safe to leave in a backyard, but not just one, and certainly not a little one, or even two.
We have snakes, lizards, hawks, bunnies, and even deer up on this really big hill. The fact that we are not up to our eyeballs in them means that they are being eaten by something higher up the food chain. It’s coyotes, of course. You can hear them at night, sometimes hunting in large noisy packs. Why would anyone think it is safe to leave dogs or cats outside?
Maybe there should be an IQ test administered to people before they are allowed to own a dog or a cat? Failing that, people who buy small dogs and cats and then leave them outside should just name them “Lunch”.
Do people in your neighborhood leave their pets outside to become a snack for wildlife?
13 people like this
15 responses
@jillybean1222 (6406)
•
23 May 16
I also think it is innate for many animals to want to be outside.
4 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
24 May 16
@jillybean1222 Sure, but if they will be eaten, then we need to keep them in the house.
3 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
So you have no predators in your area at all?
3 people like this
@celticeagle (189833)
• Boise, Idaho
23 May 16
These people would do well to check into an area a little more before moving to it. I heard some stories about a mountain lion injuring a young boy. I was saddened of course but, come on people. You move up into the mountains and what do you expect. These people really should teach their children better or keep an eye on them.
3 people like this
@celticeagle (189833)
• Boise, Idaho
24 May 16
@ElizabethWallace ....Would be nice. I moved around to the other bedroom on the other side of the apartment because it used to be quieter and now the kids play over there. Ugh!
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
We have big cats around here too, but not many kids. The area is too expensive for families. It is mostly retired people or older empty nest couples. That's too bad, but it does make for peace and quiet.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
24 May 16
@celticeagle Sorry, we have kids around here on the weekends, but they go home when it gets dark, so sleep is not affected.
2 people like this
@Jackalyn (7558)
• Oxford, England
23 May 16
Well I am in the UK. We keep our dogs in and our cats generally go in and out. Very few cats are restrained. However we do not have Coyotes or any wild animals much.Foxes do occasionally kill cats,but it is rare. They go for our dustbins (trash cans).
3 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
Do you have any suburban areas in the UK near wild areas? We have lots of those, and the animals that come with them...even bears.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
These people are so naive that they wouldn't know what the sound is. Sheesh.
2 people like this
@jillybean1222 (6406)
•
23 May 16
I suppose it depends where you live because many people who live in rural areas are used to having outdoor animals. I grew up on a farm & we had lots of animals, most of whom lived outside. Nowadays, I have 2 cats who love to go outside. I tried SO hard to make them be indoor cats. the one seriously, started breaking our screens to get outside. So i gave up the battle. He now goes inside and outside even though I much preferred to keep him inside... So it's not stupidity. I think many animals prefer the outdoors.
3 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
24 May 16
I think if they could vote, they would pick the option that kept them alive. Where I live, that means inside.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
We have the big cats too, but bears are more near the mountains in SoCal, not the hills where I live.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
Your cat is smart. Mine was a stray in a suburban neighborhood far from any wild areas. But when she became our cat, she stayed inside. Lived to be 18 years old. Outside cats where I live now disappear within days.
2 people like this
@jstory07 (148730)
• Roseburg, Oregon
27 May 16
@ElizabethWallace She goes outside with us but comes in when we go in.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
25 May 16
That is truly a stupid thing to do. People should be responsible enough to know what kind of animals are in an area where they buy a house. It seems to me that the real estate agents involved in transactions should be telling people too though.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
30 May 16
@ElizabethWallace I am sure that would not be included in disclosure legally, but but agents and clients need common sense about wildlife.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
30 May 16
There are disclosure laws, but most people would not include wildlife in them. I don't know if that is required.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
30 May 16
@JamesHxstatic I think you are correct, especially in 55+ communities. It's a matter of ethics.
1 person likes this
@noni1959 (13035)
• United States
31 May 16
Before I moved to Oregon, I lived in a very rural area of California and coyotes were around as well as rattle snakes. People would move down the hill from us and I'd hear screaming and the families saying they never knew there would be snakes or those wild "dogs" as most called them. I never allowed my cats out and our dogs only went out with us. Same here in Oregon. We have bear, mt lion, coyotes, deer and more.
@DeborahDiane (40846)
• Laguna Woods, California
25 May 16
I agree that people should have to have an IQ test before owning pets ... or giving birth to children, for that matter. Yes, coyotes are a huge problem where we live, too.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40846)
• Laguna Woods, California
31 May 16
@ElizabethWallace - I agree. Whenever we see people walking those little dogs, my husband refers to them as coyote snacks.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
30 May 16
The biggest problem with coyotes is that people do not respect and avoid them. Old people going out late or very early with bite-sized pets on long leashes are only increasing the likelihood that coyotes will attack. It looks like a food delivery service to wildlife.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
24 May 16
We have laws here that require pet owners to be in control of their pet if they leave their home. Some people have electrified fences, but that worries me. Other animals can get into the yards. I'm outside with Doodles at my side, and a big stick at my other side. There are all types of dangerous animals in our woods.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
30 May 16
We have laws too, but they don't help you in your own yard, or if your pet is on a long leash.
2 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
5 Jun 16
Well written, and oh so true. I live on a poultry farm.....from time to time there are odours associated with the poultry. We have new neighbours....they called the ministry of the environment to complain about the odours. Really people. We keep the odour to a minimum. My husband runs an extremely clean operation, BUT...... Chicken poop.....
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
23 May 16
I agree completely. Their notes online showed just how uninformed they are.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
31 May 16
we'd some folks move out here 'n think 'twas a good idea fer free- range chickens. tasty treats 'n easy pickin' fer the fox. 'course, those city slickers killed the fox...
coyotes aint much trouble 'round here, 'xcept fer durin' calvin' season. i always put'out 'xtra pups to keep 'em from gettin' the newly born.
some folks're jest takin' 'p air, aint they?
