Pet’s Death Prompts Park Cities Coyote Warnings

Highland Park officials are warning residents to take precautions after a coyote killed a family’s small dog last week in the backyard of a home in the 3300 block of Dartmouth Avenue.

“As much of a pet friendly community we are – and a pet lover myself – this one is tough to write,” Lt. Lance Koppa said in an email to residents.

(ABOVE: A coyote photo from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.)

The fatal attack on the 13-pound pet occurred around 9 p.m. Jan. 23.

Town leaders are encouraging residents to report coyote sightings and have set up an online form for doing so.

University Park officials also are raising concerns about increased coyote sightings in recent weeks.

Kappa said town officials reviewed the incident with urban wildlife experts, who passed along information to keep in mind regarding coyotes:

1) Coyotes are more active during this period of the year due to mating season, thus more sightings;

2) Dawn and dusk are generally the times that coyotes are most active;

3) Walk pets on a leash;

4) Coyotes are wary of people – supervise small breed dogs while they’re outside;

5) Secure lids on outdoor trash cans;

6) Check fencing for void spaces;

7) Immediately report any animal to local authorities that appears sick, injured, or aggressive.

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William Taylor

William Taylor, editor of Park Cities People and Preston Hollow People, shares a name and a birthday with his dad and a love for community journalism with his colleagues at People Newspapers. He joined the staff in 2016 after more than 25 years working for daily newspapers in such places as Alexandria, Louisiana; Baton Rouge; McKinney; San Angelo; and Sherman, though not in anywhere near that order. A city manager once told him that “city government is the best government” because of its potential to improve the lives of its residents. William still enjoys covering municipal government and many other topics. Follow him on Twitter @Seminarydropout. He apologizes in advance to the Joneses for any angry Tweets that might slip out about the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL season. You also can reach him at [email protected]. For the latest news, click here to sign up for our newsletter.

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