Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 5, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 5, 2022 

SWEET SCHUSTER 

Happy Tails IT’S A ‘GUESS THE 
BREED’ CONTEST! 

by Chris Leclerc 

THE ENVELOPE, 
PLEASE! 

For those of you who tuned in to this column last week and the week before, you are aware 
that there’s been a contest underway in our foothill village. It’s a guess the breed contest 
and everyone was invited to participate. While there might be some bit of knowledge or 
skill that could have been to one’s benefit in winning such a contest, truth of the matter is, 
guessing a mixed pup’s breed(s) is somewhat of a random crap shoot. 

If indeed you did read Happy Tails over the past 2 weeks, you may remember that there 
were several hints to help participants guess the subject dog’s genetic heritage, including 
photos and details of her body shape, size & weight as well as her temperament. Readers 
were encouraged to review the photos that were shown in the column along with the 
detailed description, and admonished to do their best to decide which breeds must have 
gotten together in order to create the little bundle of joy, who‘s name I can now reveal to 
be LADY! 

Rules were set forth as follows: 
E-mail your “guess” entry to me: chris@canyoncanine.com by no later than Wed., March 
2, 6 PM. 
I’ll confirm receipt of your e-mail within 24 hours and add you to the list of contestants.
The actual DNA/breed ID results will be announced in the March 5 issue of MountainViews News. The contestant who guesses closest to the correct breed make-up will beawarded a $25 Chewy.com gift card, compliments of Canyon Canine Dog Walking & PetSitting. GOOD LUCK GUESSING! 

Well folks, the results are in, and the envelope has been opened! Included in this week’s 
column is a graph which shows Lady’s DNA-tested breed ID results, listed by percentage 
of her total make-up. 

But before I announce the winners of the contest, I’d like to introduce the true winners 
in this story. Lady’s loving family! As you may have read in the original article, Lady was 
found wondering the streets and taken in by a sweet family here in Sierra Madre. I had to 
keep their identity anonymous for the fairness and integrity of the contest…small town, 
word gets around, know what I mean? But it’s time to open that envelope, so here we go! 

I want to shout out a great big THANK YOU to IVAN & KIM PARRy along with their 
kids, KATE, EMILY AND IVAN JR. for their kindness in allowing me to write my column 
about their sweet girl, Lady. And for their patience as we awaited responses prior to their 
sharing the DNA results with friends and extended family. It was so much fun for me, and 
that was the whole goal…to have fun and gather the community around yet another furry, 
four-footed friend about town. 

And the winners are: (It was a tie) 

MICHELE MURRAY-SNYDER and EDDIE ISAACS who both correctly guessed the 
top breed listed on the graph - mini poodle (33.3% of Lady‘s breed makeup). Good eye, 
you guys! As tie-winners you will both receive a $25 Chewy.com gift card, courtesy of 
Canyon Canine Dog Walking & Pet Sitting. Be sure to check your e-mail! 

There was a second runner-up who guessed one of the breeds correctly, though it was 
lower on the list in the graph. So I would like to hail kudos to CHRISTOPHER NYRGES 
who guessed cocker spaniel (9.7% of Lady‘s breed makeup). Good guessing, Christopher. 
As requested, Canyon Canine will make a donation to Free Animal Doctor this week, on 
your behalf. 

Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest. It was lots of fun. Now go hug your 
precious pets and don’t forget to LOVE and LET LIVE! 

Schuster sports the name of 
one half of a famous book publishing 
company: Simon and 
Schuster. Schuster, born 2019, 
is a very hand-some boy, as you 
can see. Schuster loves to be 
near his people, and often sits 
next to them or on a lap and 

wants to be petted. Perhaps he will be your reading buddy! 
He is playful and especially likes things that dangle or that 
he can chase. He sleeps with one of the 2 cats at his foster 
home, Schuster is neutered and vaccinated--He's ready to 
be yours! Application at Lifeline for Pets: www.lifelineforpets.
org where you can see more pictures of Schuster on our 
More Cats page. 

Pet of the Week 

LADY BLUE is five years old and absolutely loves people!
She’s very active and enthusiastic, especially when makingfriends with Pasadena Humane staff and volunteers, and 
would do best in a home where she can get lots of attentionand playtime. Lady Blue has such a happy spirit and is readyto bring lots of joy to her forever home.

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions includespay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-andwellness 
exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as agoody bag filled with information about how to care for your 
pet.

 View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane. 
org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available 
every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phonecalls or email. 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 
THE URBAN WILDERNESS 
LIVING WITH COYOTES 


[Nyerges is a naturalist who teaches classes in botany and biology. He is the author of several 
books including “Enter the Forest,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” and 
others. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 
90041.] 

Coyotes are fascinating members of the dog family. Today, there are found 
in virtually every city in the lower 48 states, and they seem to be able to 
survive anywhere. 

 I can recall my first coyote encounters during summer camp and while backpacking 
in the local Angeles National Forest. At first, I was sure that I was hearing other children and 
adults howling. The voices had such a chilling human-like quality that I could not believe 
they were coyotes. But my friends assured me were hearing a pack of coyotes, and we could 
hear maybe 50 distinct voices. 

 That human-like voice is the reason so many scary camp-fire tales are told about 
coyotes, usually involved disappearing children who get raised in the woods by coyotes, and 
other frightening stories.

 Back then, during the naivete of childhood, it was easy to believe in the magical, mysterious, 
and mystical qualities of the coyote. These nocturnal animals could survive where 
few others animals could, and so supernatural qualities were often attributed to the coyote 
in myth and lore.

 In fact, an entire branch of American Indian lore pertains to stories about Coyote, 
a Trickster who usually ends up getting caught in his own machinations. Coyote Trickster 
tales were akin to the morality stories found in all cultures.

 Today, as we humans in the valleys below the mountains ever-expand our range, we 
encounter coyotes more and more frequently. 

 As the urban sprawl continues to sprawl, people move into the remote sites in the 
foothills and mountains and discover that their family cat has disappeared; all too often, it 
was some indigenous coyote’s dinner. These homeowners generally regard the coyote as a 
menace and an animal to be rid of. They quickly forget that the coyote has been here for 
perhaps thousands of years, and that it plays an important role in the local ecology.

 According to U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Bill Brown, coyotes are mostly 
carnivorous. He explains that they are excellent hunters, often working in pairs, who feed 
primarily on rats, mice, ground squirrels, rabbits, insects, and carrion. (Did you notice that 
at least half of the animals eaten by coyotes can be carriers of plagues?)

 Berries and backyard fruit comprise only a small portion of the coyotes’ diet, according 
to Brown (whom I interviewed for my “Enter the Forest” book). Still, coyotes are regarded 
as opportunists, and will not hesitate to capture and eat cats, small dogs, poultry, sheep, and 
other domestic animals as long as they are easier to capture than other wild animals. 

 All too often, people who move into mountain locations – like much of Sierra Madre -- 
fail to adequately protect their pets, which become easy prey for a coyote. Brown points out 
that coyotes do not go after people, and in the very rare instances where this has occurred, 
it was with unprotected toddlers in the mountain areas. To the coyote, the young child is a 
“fat hairless dog.” 

 Increased sightings of coyotes can occur for many reasons, such as lack of food in 
their normal area, or after wildfires when their territory is disrupted. But in general, coyotes 

– like bears and mountain lions – want nothing to do with people and will usually departbefore they are spotted. 
The coyote is a very adaptable animal, and its range is by no means restricted to the 
foothills. Its home range is about 16 square miles, and in some cases, as much as 100 square 
miles. Coyotes are known to travel through flood control channels, along freeways and city 
streets, and even sidewalks. The Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco are two easy routes 
for them to get from place to place, as well as the water channels throughout Sierra Madre 
and the San Gabriel Valley.

 It is not unusual to see coyotes running on the streets at night, and rummaging around 
foothill neighborhoods in Sierra Madre, especially on the night the trash cans are put out. 
(Make sure to have tight lids on your trash cans).

 Wildlife Biologist Brown says we have no accurate idea how many coyotes are living 
in the Angeles National Forest, but that it could be in the thousands. 

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