In a message dated 2/19/2005 10:32:42 AM Central Standard Time, Danannkennel@xxxxxxx writes: Don't feel to comfortable I live in Central Illinois - we have tornadoes, blizzards and coyotes- they have also been sighted in the Chicago suburbs --------------------------------- I've lived in a relatively rural area in Illinois for 23 years, about thirty miles southwest of St. Louis, MO ... and I've seen plenty coyotes here over the past ten years or so. I never saw one before that. I often hear them screaming, yapping, and howling in the distance, but while the dogs tend to join in, they seem to stay away from our yard. I suspect they're not interested in meeting up with five adult GSDs. <G> In this part of the country, coyotes generally do not run in packs. They normally feed on rabbits and mice, so groups of more than two or three would make that more difficult. As I understand it, they do run in packs in the west, where they feed on large prey like elk (hence the need to run in packs.) Coyotes generally weigh less than 40 pounds, so individually, or even in groups of two or three, they aren't that dangerous to people or large dogs ... and they are smart enough, or spooky enough, to stay clear. Just a note .. According to what I've read, Coyotes were rare in Illinois before the mid 1800s and there was a big population increase in the 1970s. If urban sprawl had any effect, it was good for them. Tom Langlitz ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================