Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, July 1, 2017

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

8

Mountain Views-News Saturday, July 1, 2017 


HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

CANINE MEETS COYOTE

Safety Tips for Unexpected 

Coyote Encounters

THE JOY OF YOGA


FREEDOM, PEACE, AND SERENITY

As Sierra Madreans, we live very close to the forest which 
means we live very close to a wide variety of wildlife. 
Most of the time, the animals that live in our nearby 
forest do not pose a threat to us or our pets, but there 
are times when we must take particular precaution to 
avoid unwanted contact with a would-be predator that 
ventures into our village.

 Wild animals do what they must do to survive and 
protect their own. Therefore it is up to us to ensure that 
ourselves and our pets are safe from harm, especially 
when we see coyotes in close proximity.

 I read an article linked to Facebook this past week 
(thank you, Kathleen Blanchard!) that provided some 
very helpful and practical tips on how to avoid the 
inherent dangers of coming into close contact with a 
coyote while walking a canine. I thought it would be 
a good idea to share the safety tips from the article in 
this week‘s column, for local dog owners to read and 
hopefully heed.

 I do confess that the following safety tips are written 
in somewhat verbatim form, to avoid omission of 
important information. All credit goes to Jaymi 
Heimbuch for her awesome article posted on the 
urbancoyoteinitiative.com website. Here are some of the 
tips Heimbuch shared in her article, which I hope you 
will all benefit from:

What to do if You Encounter a Coyote While Walking 
Your Dog

 1. Leash your dog. (Of course your dog should always 
be leashed during a walk.) Pick up and carry small dogs. 
It is important to have full control over your dog so that 
they do not run toward, away from, or otherwise engage 
the coyote.

 2. Stand tall and assertive. Coyotes are wary of 
humans and your presence is usually enough to drive off 
a coyote. Maintain eye contact. Do not turn your back 
on the coyote and do not run. Running away can trigger 
a coyote’s prey drive and may cause him or her to chase 
you.

 3. Haze the coyote until it leaves the area. This may come 
easy to some, but to others may seem abusive or unkind. 
But every coyote advocate will agree, the kindest thing you 
can do for a coyote is to scare it away, especially if he or she 
is overly curious about dogs. Keeping a 
coyote’s natural fear of humans is the 
only way to keep urban coyotes alive, 
for a coyote that becomes too brazen is 
sure to end up euthanized.

 Outside of pupping season 
(between the months of August and 
January) haze the coyote by yelling, 
stomping your feet, shaking a jacket 
or noise maker, popping an umbrella, 
flashing a flashlight, tossing rocks 
or branches at the ground near the 
coyote and anything else that will 
frighten the coyote off. If the coyote 
freezes, or runs a little way away and 
turns to watch you again, continue 
hazing and moving toward the coyote 
until he or she leaves the area entirely. Then calmly and 
assertively walk out of the area.

 It if is breeding and pupping season (between the 
months of February and July) you may be near a den 
and considered a threat. In this case it is important not 
to haze coyotes as normal, because coyotes will defend 
the den site and you’ll only be escalating a situation, 
causing undue stress on the coyote and potentially 
forcing a coyote to act out defensively. During these 
months, the best thing to do is to slowly and calmly walk 
away without ever turning your back on the coyote. Stay 
tall and assertive as you leave the area, even if it means 
walking backwards. Coyotes will sometimes follow you 
for a distance to escort you out of their territory, and 
turning your back may invite them to come in closer to 
hurry you on your way. Maintaining eye contact and an 
assertive posture keeps things balanced by letting the 
coyote know they do not have the upper hand while still 
respecting the coyotes’ defense of their den site.

 4. Report overly brazen coyotes. If a coyote comes too 
close, follows you for too long, acts overly assertive or 
does not respond to hazing, report the coyote to animal 
control authorities. The coyote may have become 
habituated to humans or is being fed by someone, which 
can result in aggressive behavior. (Never feed the local 
wildlife!) If this is the case, it may be that the coyote can 
be hazed by trained officials to reverse its behavior or, as 
unfortunately is often the case, may have to be removed.

 The media is rather one-sided when it comes to 
coyotes, reporting with sensationalistic fervor all the 
instances that coyotes have conflicts with pets, but 
ignoring the instances where an encounter is harmless 
or a coyote is actually defending itself or territory against 
an intruding dog, rather than being the aggressor. This 
results in myths and misconceptions about life among 
coyotes.

 While there can be misunderstanding about what is 
happening during an encounter, what is readily apparent 
is that the best thing for humans, dogs and coyotes 
living in the same area is to minimize the possibility of 
an encounter. Play your role in maintaining a coyote’s 
fear of humans, and by extension, maintaining distance 
from pets. Respect your pets and the local wildlife 
always. Love and let live.

Happy 4th of July! 
Enjoy all that 
freedom has to offer 
in this lovely pocket 
of the San Gabriel 
Valley. 

 Many people come 
to yoga to get free; free of pain and to find freedom of the 
spirit. In fact, if there’s one thing that yoga has given me, 
it’s freedom along with peace of mind. Like many people 
who come to yoga, part of me needed to break free of the 
mental constraints and black and white rules through 
which I was living my life. I was bound up in a way, 
experiencing all the symptoms of anxiety and fear that 
come with this limited vision. Yet, there was another part 
of me who was untethered and very free but searching for 
the next external remedy or avenue to wellness. When 
I came to yoga, I could relate to both sides of the coin; 
untethered from no rules and wound up tight from too 
many rules. Both states of mind (and way of living) need 
one thing, and that thing is an open mind. 

 Little by little, yoga causes us to open our minds. 
Freedom, awareness, and compassion are the fruits of 
this open-mindedness. Although yoga has a specific 
way of doing this, as we practice we build awareness 
and self-compassion first. Next, discipline is cultivated 
as our devotion to our practice and self-study grows. 
Without this discipline, we can’t reap the full benefits 
of the practice. For example, with meditation, there is 
the simple act of actually doing it. It’s a great idea but it 
takes discipline and devotion to actually sit daily. Once 
a consistent practice develops, all sorts of good things 
happen. Feelings of freedom, peace, and serenity fill our 
consciousness. 

 If you apply this same principle to physical pain or 
discomfort, you may notice that you have a great range of 
motion and greater freedom in your life when you practice 
yoga daily or multiple times in the week. The discipline of 
it affords you the freedom to be active in your life. 

 So, don’t underestimate the change in perspective that 
a little personal discipline can give. Freedom is not a free-
for-all life; that is mayhem and there is always a price to 
pay at some point. True freedom is power and peace and 
serenity too. 

 Come see us at Yoga Madre, visit the website at www.
yogamadre.com for information on daily classes and 
events. Please email me with questions and discussion, 

keely@yogamadre.com. 

Thank you and Namaste,

Keely Totten, E-RYT 500


THE MISSING PAGE

Real Life Tips from LIfe's Instruction Manual

GRATITUDE IN PRACTICE, 

REDUCE THE WASTE

 Gratitude in practice is being thankful for what 
we have. We can show our gratitude by not being 
wasteful. 

 Did you know that 1 in 8 American households 
are food insecure, and worldwide it’s 1 in 9? What is 
that? It means that they lack access to nutritious and 
safe food. 800 million people suffer from hunger, 
but now many people from different industries are 
fighting the issue head on by attacking food waste. 
Every year over 5 billion tons of food are discarded 
solely for aesthetic reasons. 

 Now people are starting with trying to change the 
way we look at produce. Everything is not perfectly 
symmetrical. Sometimes our veggies look funky, 
but now that food is being sold at a lower price point 
or is going to food pantries, some food goes to local 
schools for student lunches. Food waste harms the 
environment because we are squandering resources 
such as fuel, water, and fertilizer. 

 What can you do?

 Do you have fruit trees on your property? Share 
what you are unable to consume. Support your local 
food pantry. 

 Support grocers that are tackling the issue with 
lower prices, that have a salad bar and deli which 
allows them to cook ugly produce.

 Shop more frequently and purchase fresh food in 
small batches.

 Support your local farmers market.

 Use a reminder system so that your veggies don’t 
go to waste.

 Freeze or can your extras.

 Make smoothies and juices with your bruised 
fruit.

 Eat your leftovers.

 Let’s not just talk about gratitude, let’s practice it 
by appreciating and consuming what we have and 
reducing waste.

 It’s your turn, what will you do to experience 
gratitude today?

 

 Lori A. Harris is a lawyer and success coach that 
helps women who want to live their very best lives now. 
You can learn more about her at www.LoriAHarris.
com and download her app the Gratitude Train; find 
it free in Google Play and the App Store.


CAT OF THE WEEK


MEET HER & FALL IN LOVE!

 Do you suffer from cold lap? 
ISABELLE will fix that! She’s a 
beautiful dilute calico with gorgeous 
markings, and a sweet purr-sonality. 
She has so much love to give but no 
one to give it to! Isabelle is about a year 
old, and needs to be in a home getting 
petting and treats, and playing with 
you, rather than in our facility. Easy-
going and affectionate, this delightful 
girl is the purr-rect addition to your 
home.

 Adoption fee is $100, which includes 
spay, microchip, exam & vaccines. A 
great savings! Our cats are negative 
FELV/FIV unless otherwise indicated. 

 See more pictures, videos, 
adoption info & application on our 
website, www.lifelineforpets.org. Call 
626-676-9505 for a Meet & Greet. 
Can’t adopt? Visit our website for 
our easy Sponsor A Kitty campaign. 
GOOD NEWS: Braelyn & Grayson 
have been adopted.

DOGWOODS!!
Dogwood trees for Southern Califorina Yes!! At Nuccios 
Nurseries along with hundreds of varieties of Camellias and 
Azaleas 
Regular price for a 5 to 6 foot tree is $38.50. With this ad 
$5.00 off Dogwood trees.
Offer experiences June 30, 2017Nuccio's Nurseries 626-794-33833555 Chaney Trail open 8am to 4:30pmAltadena CA 91001 Closed Wed / Thur
LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND

Maryanne is a darling 2-year-old 
Chihuahua mix that was picked 
up as a stray dog in Rosemead. 
Maryanne is a bit timid when 
meeting new people, but with a little 
time and patience, you will find her 
crawling into your lap and nestling 
in. Once she settles in, you just 
might find her closing her eyes and 
falling asleep. At less than 7 pounds, 
she is perfect lap-size. Maryanne 
enjoys her walks and playtime with 
volunteers. She is a very affectionate 
girl, often returning to the nearest 
person for some pets and love, and 
then scampering off to play with 
another dog. Maryanne is looking for a forever 
home where she can get the direction she needs to 
help her live up to her potential. She needs regular 
exercise and playtime, but she would probably 
prefer a more quiet life where she 
is treated as part of the family in a 
loving, secure environment. Come 
meet and spend time with Maryanne 
and you are sure to fall in love with 
her! Her adoption fee is $130 and 
includes spay surgery, vaccinations, 
microchip and a free wellness exam 
at a participating veterinarian. Feel 
free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for 
more information. She currently 
resides at the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society located at 851 E. 
Grand Avenue in San Gabriel which 
is located off San Gabriel Blvd, 
north of Mission and south of Las 
Tunas Drive. To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’, please 
stop by any time from 10:30am to 4:30pm Tuesday 
through Sunday.Website:www.sgvhumane.org. 
ID#28872.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com