PHOENIX - When it comes to coyote sightings in central Phoenix, most people don't expect to see two coyotes casually strolling through their neighborhood while out walking their dog.
Still, take look on social media and you’ll find community message boards filled with neighbors reporting and posting pictures of coyote sightings.
From the central corridor to the Encanto and Willow historic neighborhoods, the wild animals seem to be getting more comfortable around humans.
“These are not coyotes coming in from the mountains,” said Amy Burnett, a spokesperson for the Arizona Game & Fish Department. “These are urban coyotes. They live here, they've been here.”
Burnett says the coyotes seen hanging around Encanto Park and nearby areas have lived in the city for at least a couple of decades.
“There's all these little things that we are doing as humans to actually influence and bring the coyotes closer,” Burnett said. “We're not necessarily wanting them to be in our backyards but we're actually saying come on in and not discouraging them and that’s the real issue here."
She says the area’s parks and neighborhoods provide plenty of vegetation and food for the coyotes and most of these urban coyotes couldn’t survive out in the wild.
While sightings in Phoenix aren’t uncommon, Burnett says allowing urban coyotes to get too comfortable around humans can have devastating consequences.
Lynda Bloeser, who now lives in the Roosevelt Historic District, knows that all too well.
“I heard this horrible screaming and I could tell right away that she was caught and screaming for her life and it was horrifying,” Bloeser told 12 News about the night her Cairn Terrier, Muggsie, was killed by a coyote in the backyard of her former home in Scottsdale.
“I ran outside and saw the coyote run off,” Bloeser said.
Muggsie had gone outside through the doggie door for a quick before-bed bathroom break.
Bloeser says she never imagined a coyote would be able to scale her 7-foot back wall to get to her beloved pets, but it did.
While it may seem cruel, Burnett says, in order to protect neighborhood pets and the local wildlife, neighbors need to make sure coyotes know their properties are off limits.
“When you see a coyote, you really want to haze them,” said Burnett, “yelling at them, squirting water at them. Make them have an unpleasant experience.
“If they're coming in close, coming into your backyard and eyeing your dog or cat, you want to make a lot of noise. Use some pots and pans to let them know they're not welcome in your backyard."
Burnett says the last thing they want to do is euthanized a coyote because a human fed it or invited it closer.
“This is their home and we just need to learn how to live with them and not encourage them to come so close into our backyards,” Burnett told 12 news.
As for Boesler, she no longer feels doggy doors are a safe option for many pets and doesn’t let her dogs out alone, especially at night.
While she couldn’t save Muggsie, Bloeser hopes her story helps prevent other pets from suffering the same fate.
“It was 12 years ago, but honestly I could cry about it again right now,” she said. “I felt like I had let her down, because I left that dog door open and I had so much guilt.”
For more information on how to handle coyotes in your neighborhood, check out this Game & Fish urban coyote tip sheet.