Fun fiction for a change!

Coyote Joe

I was awakened abruptly by the sound of growling and a loud crash in the side yard. The clock displayed six thirty.  Jumping out of bed, I raised one slat of the window blind to investigate. Nothing was in my line of vision. The sky was showing the first signs of morning, glowing with hazy shades of blue, grey and coral. I looked over at the dog bed and saw Barney, my lab-husky pal with his ears perked, looking like he would spring into action any second. Although I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary in the yard, I could still feel a presence. As I grabbed the pepper spray off the nightstand, I spoke softly to Barney and together we headed toward the dining room and the door to the side yard.  Along the way I turned on the coffee maker –might as well brew that morning treat while we investigated.

Cautiously, we stepped out the dining room door, into the screened-in lanai. I had to make sure whatever it was didn’t get in through the dog door. All was quiet, so we continued out into the yard. Again, nothing there. I felt a chill despite the seventy-five degree morning.  Barn stayed really close to me and with his nose sniffing the air and his hackles up; I sensed that he knew something was hiding.  I was positive it wasn’t a possum or a fruit rat; those animals don’t growl. Neighborhood pets can’t get inside our tall wooden fence unless they can climb like the afore mentioned critters. A little shaken, I went back into the house, poured my first cup of aromatic Espresso Blend and pondered what I may have heard.

Barney, on the other hand, decided to lay in wait in his hammock on the lanai. I could tell he didn’t know whether to protect me or go on the hunt. A few peaceful, bird-song minutes passed and Bang! Growl! Barney shot out his dog door into the yard and barked a deep, loud warning. I sat my mug down and raced to the yard. Sure enough, in the northwest corner of the fence, looking out from behind a cluster of low palms was a frightened, skinny coyote bearing his teeth at Barney, who literally had him cornered. It was a stand-off. Neither animal was going to move.

I had just read about coyotes invading residential areas all over Florida but never imagined one would get in our yard. He must have smelled the grill drippings from dinner the night before and jumped the fence.  I realized I couldn’t use the pepper spray in case it got into Barney’s eyes or nose. How on earth was I going to get the dog in the house, get the gate open and make it leave? I could bate it with food on the other side of the fence but that would require leaving the dog with the coyote for a few minutes.

I had a flash-back to Barney chasing coyotes in Palm Springs with his two German Shepard buddies, Magic and Whisky. He came back from the chase injured and scared. They are the only animal that gives me the creeps. They sound like Hyenas when they’re in a pack.

Coming back to the present, I noticed the coyote looked ready to bolt when I heard my neighbor come out of the house to get his paper. I yelled for him to open the gate and stand back. I didn’t know who would run out first – the dog or the coyote, but I knew there would be a frenzied chase. The gate opened and bam! The blur of fur…growl, yipe, crash, whir… a successful run-off by my proud pup. He came back in the yard smiling, standing a little taller, wagging his fluffy white tail.  He protected his mamma and got sweet revenge for Palm Springs. What a good morning.