A Run In With A Coyote Walking the Trails of San Clemente

Wow, we had a run in with a coyote this past Saturday that was freaky! I have walked all over with my dogs and have usually found that once they start barking at coyotes, they usually take off. I was walking with my 10 month old doberman, Diva, heading home after 4 miles of trails over the hills in Talega of San Clemente. We had come off the Talega golf course on a short-cut home when Diva, started to go crazy. Up ahead was a nice healthy coyote, that really looked more like a German Shepherd. His coat was more black than I have seen before and he was easily 60+ pounds. At first as Diva was barking at him, he started to take off, then he turned around and took a stand. I automatically looked for a rock to throw and all I could find were pebbles. Diva was going crazy barking and pulling on the leash, so I decided to go for it and we took off running towards the coyote who was about 20 feet ahead of us. As we charged him, he took off. There was a bend in the path and he must have ducked into the brush because as we hit the bend, we lost sight of him. Then the creepy part happened, we had no idea where he was or if there were more hidden in the bush. So Diva and I ran up the trail stopping every few yards, turning around to make a stand so it didn't look like we were dinner running away. It was one of those experiences that leave your heart beating fast and furious. Great walk with a favorite puppy dog on a beautiful day in Talega.