Coyotes are closely genetically related to dogs. While these wild animals have some key differences from our normal house pets, they’ll often exhibit some very dog-like behaviors.
Like our dogs, coyotes sometimes just want to make themselves at home and curl up for a nap. That’s what one homeowner realized recently when she found a coyote relaxing on her patio furniture, unwilling to budge from his cozy new spot.
According to Animal Care & Control San Francisco, the homeowner found the “beautiful coyote” sleeping on their outdoor patio furniture. Even they she approached him, the coyote was reluctant to move.
The homeowner was concerned that the coyote might be sick or injured, and contacted animal control who quickly arrived on the scene.
Officer Mullen told the coyote it was “time to get up,” and the canine finally agreed to awake from his cozy nap. They wrote on Twitter that he “encouraged this sleepy coyote couch potato to move along and find a more coyote-appropriate (but less comfy) place to sleep.”
“He looked at me, got up, took a big stretch and made his way to the edge of the yard,” the officer wrote on Facebook. “He was moving appropriately and did not appear sick or injured.”
The coyote then reportedly hopped over a wall and disappeared into the brush. Officer Mullen said the animal was likely a “young healthy male that was probably recently kicked out of his den and was trying to make his way through the city,” explaining that this is the time of year when males leave their home dens to look for mates and start a den of their own.
He also wrote that coyotes are not usually aggressive but can exhibit assertive behaviors when feeling threatened or protecting their young, and said people should call animal control if they see a coyote they are concerned about.
This coyote definitely made himself at home! He looks like a regular dog napping on the patio furniture like that!
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