Dog pack terrorizes Washington

[Dainerra]

Dog pack kills animals, terrorizes Wash. town

A pack of dogs has killed about 100 animals in the past three months in northeastern Washington state while eluding law enforcement and volunteers.

Read more: Dog pack kills animals, terrorizes Wash. town

[LaRen616]

This is crazy!

I want to see the picture of the dogs that are doing this.

[Lilie]

I wonder how they can be so sure they are dogs and not coyotes or a mixture of both. Dogs normally wouldn't wait till dark to go hunting. Wild dogs may be skittish, but it would be unusual for them to 'hunker down' during the day. That would have to be a learned behavior.

In the end, I suppose it really doesn't matter to those who are losing their livestock. But I'd be curious if there is an established pack of coyotes or wolves in the area that hasn't been documented.

[LaRen616]

Originally Posted by Lilie

But I'd be curious if there is an established pack of coyotes or wolves in the area that hasn't been documented.

My thoughts as well.

[LaRen616]

'Bloodthirsty' dog pack kills dozens of animals in northeast Washington; residents warned - Brandon Sun

Photo on website

[Lilie]

That is a coyote! The partial looks like a GSD mix. Ok, so this confuses me a little. I thought that Coyotes were territorial. That they'll follow the sames paths over and over. I also thought that once established, they bed down in the same place every day. You'd think that there would be an expert that would step in and help locate the pack.

I guess I was wrong.

[LaRen616]

Originally Posted by Lilie

That is a coyote! The partial looks like a GSD mix. Ok, so this confuses me a little. I thought that Coyotes were territorial. That they'll follow the sames paths over and over. I also thought that once established, they bed down in the same place every day. You'd think that there would be an expert that would step in and help locate the pack.

I guess I was wrong.

I definitly see a coyote when I look at the dog on the right and I do unfortunitly see some GSD mix in the one on the left.

[Minnieski]

Why do they think the dogs (look more like coyotes to me, but whatever) are killing for "fun?" Are they just leaving the animals after they kill them without eating them?

Also, I don't know how anyone can jump to the conclusion that there is a gsd mix involved based on a blurry picture of 1/2 a head from the back. It could honestly be anything.

[Dainerra]

I don't know Washington state, but feral dogs are pretty common where I grew up in WV. They quickly learn to hunker down during the day. They attack and kill dozens of animals at a time, sometimes eating one or two, but most are just left to die.

A neighbor growing up lost over a dozen calves and several cows in one night. None of them were eaten, just torn to pieces.
Some of the dogs do mix with coyotes, probably part of the reason they are so wary of humans.

ETA: it's also pretty common for neighborhood dogs to "pack up" and hunt at night and then go home to their owners during the day. Again, this is in rural areas where everyone lets their dogs roam free. That would also explain the killing for fun, since the dogs are usually well-fed and sometimes don't even seem to realize that the animals they killed could be food!

[Lilie]

Originally Posted by Minnieski

Why do they think the dogs (look more like coyotes to me, but whatever) are killing for "fun?" Are they just leaving the animals after they kill them without eating them?

Also, I don't know how anyone can jump to the conclusion that there is a gsd mix involved based on a blurry picture of 1/2 a head from the back. It could honestly be anything.

The picture that I see isn't blurry at all. One is undoubtedly a coyote. The other looks to me like a GSD (mix). Prick ear, tan head, black saddle, med to large size.

One dog can get into a chicken coop and kill every chicken. One dog can chase down a goat and maul it. A pack of dogs can do much more damage.

However, I've never heard of coyotes killing for sport. At least I can say with certainty that the coyotes that are out where I live have never killed it's prey without eating it.