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Unattended pets at risk 9 · Wednesday, February 3, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Continued from page 1 kind of trouble and I ran out the back, left the door open and what I saw was a very big animal that had her in his grip." With Reid-Purcell's appearance, the animal, which she later described as a coyote, moved away from Molly and jumped to the top of the nearby fence before leaping back into the ravine. In the meantime, Molly had run back inside her home and under Reid-Purcell's bed, where she hid until her owner was able to coax her out. "I could see there was blood. I didn't know exactly where she was hurt so I grabbed a phone book and looked up an emergency vet in Burlington," said Reid-Purcell. "We were there for a couple of hours while they took X-rays of her neck, stomach and chest. She had puncture wounds to her throat, but she's very, very lucky because usually they go for the jugular. Often, I'm told, they just take off with them, so we're just so fortunate she's okay." Today, Molly is home recuperating from an encounter not every dog is lucky enough to survive. Just a few weeks ago, an eight-year-old West Highland white terrier named Tucker was killed in Georgetown in what was most likely a coyote attack. As in Oakville, Tucker had been left unattended only briefly in his backyard, which also backed onto a ravine. Rob Bauer, manager of animal protective services for the Oakville and District Humane Society, said he has not seen an escalation in the number of recorded coyote sightings, but reminds residents to be careful with their pets as the predators are out there. "With the colder weather, their natural food sources become more and more difficult to find. The hunting they would normally be doing isn't as easy because most animals are now in a semihibernation state," said Bauer. "So they are obviously now looking for other resources, which would be garbage and, unfortunately, those unattended pets that are left in backyards and areas like that." To prevent this, Bauer recommends that cats living in coyote-patrolled areas be kept indoors, while small dogs should be kept on a leash when walked and not left unsupervised in backyards particularly at dawn and dusk, the coyote's prime hunting time. Reid-Purcell said she hopes her neighbours will take her near tragic story to heart and remove their animals from harm's way. She also voiced concerns about the coyote's presence in an urban area. "The message we're being given is that coyotes are now part of our urban landscape and I would question that," said Reid-Purcell. "There's nothing preying on coyotes, so I guess my question would be are they overpopulated and, if so, are we in danger as residents? Should we be fearful not only for our pets, but for our children as well?" Bauer said the coyote population is actually in the process of recovering from an outbreak of mange, which wiped out many of the animals several years ago. He said coyotes do not seek confrontation with humans and will only attack if all escape routes are cut off. Bauer said coyotes are becoming bolder due to human encroachment into their territory. As such, residents should not be surprised if yelling at a coyote is no longer sufficient to get it to run away. Bauer said the humane society does not remove coyotes from urban areas unless they are sick or injured. He said even if coyotes were removed, it would make little difference in the long run because the animal is territorial. If a coyote is removed from one hunting ground, another would arrive to take its place, he said. Bauer also recommended against any kind of population cull because eliminating large numbers of coyotes would lead to an explosion in the populations of the animals they feed on, namely skunks, rabbits, raccoons and squirrels. The Oakville and District Humane Society is keeping track of coyote sightings and can be reached at 905-845-1551. "Fall in love with Downtown Oakville all over again..." ART IN THE HEART: SHOP WITH YOUR SENSES Weekends in February Participating Downtown Oakville boutiques will offer up a show of artists, music, in-store events and special promotions to delight your senses. ART IN THE HEART: GALLERY TASTE & TOURS Saturday, February 6th & 13th Participating Downtown Oakville galleries open their doors to welcome you in from the cold with chocolates, confections and fine wines. Participating Galleries: Feb. 6th: Bronze Frog Gallery 1:30 ­ 4pm Feb. 13th: Abbozzo Gallery, Native Art Gallery, Towne Square Gallery, Win Henstock Gallery festivities 5:00 until 8:00pm for tour times A TASTE OF DOWNTOWN OAKVILLE February 15th to February 28th The following restaurants will be offering special prix fixe menus: 3S's Steak Seafood & Song, Bite Me Twice, Cafe Galleria, Colossus Greek Tavern, Corks, The Crepe Kitchen, Eco Chefs, The Griffin House, Jam Martini & Wine Bar, Jonathan's, Oliver's Restaurant, Paradiso, Prime Time Sports Bar, Ristorante Julia, Rude Native, Seasons For more information, please visit www.oakvilledowntown.com SPONSORS RBC Royal Bank Blazing (A Division of Blazing Design Inc.) GSPONSORS lam Limited DRBC Royal Bank, Financial Services Ltd. obson & Toncic Oakville ARBC DominionImaging llegra Print & Securities PLasernetworks Inc. erfect Pallets National Wireless Financial Advisory Tactical Paradigm Services Inc. The Goddard Group - Assante Capital Management Ltd. SWarren EdgarQuantum Reality Inc. utton Group - Assante Capital Management Ltd. SJohn Mom Media Inc. Inc. avvy Willmott Architect GBelinda Bryce & Allison Bryce - The Magnes Group Inc. allery at 129 Ossington CAugustina Boutiques Ltd. ustom Sign Solutions Inc. ATPCCanada DP Productions Inc. CCochren Homes Limited CH Canadian Ltd. M. Edward Powell Ltd. Fencor ContractingInsurance Brokers Ltd. GGlenwoodLaboratories CanadaLtd. lenwood Laboratories Canada Ltd. National Links Consumer Products Management Inc. Housewarmings Seasons in Oakville (Restaurant) Inc. PGlam Limited neumatic Industrial Equipment Co. Ltd. PMurron Cabinetree Logistics Inc. rotea Transportation SFreedom 9 Inc. Ltd. tell Mechanical NThe Ehler Investment Group ­ TD Waterhouse ational Links Consumer Products M. Edward Powell Insurance Brokers Inc. O'Neill Inc. Dr. Ronald Gall & Associates, Inc. MicroNova Software SolutionsOptometrists Sportchek ­ Oakville Wool Bin Stores Inc. Town Centre Fine Lines Sign Co. Augustina Canada Lasernetworks If you have a news tip or story idea, call the Oakville Beaver at 905-845-3824. 8th Annual www. com Oakville Toy Tea Henderson Partners would like to express our sincere thanks to our sponsors and supporters who contributed so generously. With your help we were able to donate over a thousand toys to children in our community. LARGEST YORK DEALER IN GOLDEN TRIANGLE High Efficiency NO INTEREST NO PAYMENT FOR 6 MONTHS OAC HURRY! FURNACE & CENTRAL AIR E IR * $ ONLY Gas Furnace PACKAGE INCLUDES: · 96% High Efficiency Two Stage Variable Speed Gas Furnace · 15.75 SEER High Efficiency Central Air R410A Refrigerant · 10 Years Factory Warranty *After Government, Aire One and Manufacturer Rebates. Must have existing Furnace and A/C. *Call now for details. Offer cannot be combined. OAC. Accessories excluded. 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