BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — When Nissa Sale steps outside her Bloomington apartment with her dog Freddy, it comes at the risk of meeting an unwanted neighbor -- a coyote sunning itself less than 20 yards from Nissa's door.
“He lays down. Like he's a dog in the backyard,” Sale said.
She tries making noise. She even uses a whistle.
But the Coyote is unfazed by her hazing.
“I don't feel safe out here with the dog, to enjoy this outdoor area or even my patio,” Sale said.
It's because she knows small pets like Freddy are at danger of being attacked by urban coyotes.
”He's just too close for comfort,” she said.
Nissa is not alone. “We are seeing an increase in coyotes all throughout the metro area,” said Bloomington Animal Control Coordinator John Carlson.
Carlson is aware of the issue that is exploding on Next Door and Facebook pages all over the Twin Cities. But he says the DNR won't trap, shoot, or relocate coyotes. And animal control will only remove ones known to be dangerous.
Their advice is simply try to scare them.
“The only answer I've gotten from Animal Control is to continue hazing him,” Sale said.
And to be careful about letting out your small pets, a category that Freddie fits to the T.