Kids' Korner: "Song Dogs" by Sona Vargas

Have you ever wondered about the song of the coyote? "Yip yip, aw-hooo, yip yip, aw-hooo." The notes rise and fall as the Heights' wild song dog sings.

When separated by long distances, coyotes talk to one another by howling. Often they are alerting their families and friends that there is danger or a strange animal is near. They may be finding out where a wandering pup might be or predicting that a storm is about to break. Male song dogs do not send flowers or valentines to impress females. They prefer to sing her a song. They even compete with other males in singing contests.

Song dogs also send silent messages to each another. Hidden at the base of their tails is a gland containing a strong perfume that is slightly different for each animal. By smelling this scent, a coyote can tell a lot about another animal, including whether it is a friend or an enemy.

A coyote usually stays in the same territory most of his life unless man frightens him away. In a healthy environment he can live to be 14 years old. This means your neighborhood coyote could have grown up in your community. When two coyotes mate, they are devoted to each other forever. Papa never enters the den but constantly provides food for the five or seven cinnamon-colored pups inside. Pups have large ears that constantly turn in opposite directions like radar antennae tracking every little sound. They rely on their excellent hearing to stay alive.

The food preferred by these clever hunters is small mammals such as mice, tree rats, and rabbits. They also eat birds. If these little animals were not eaten by the song dog, their population would go unchecked. Hundreds of creatures would invade our vegetable and flower gardens! We need coyotes to keep their numbers under control.

Some people do not like coyotes. Coyotes are blamed for eating cats and other pets. But if we are careful with our garbage and mind our pets, coyotes eat what they are supposed to eat. Here are some ways to keep coyotes from doing harm: feed pets indoors; clear dense weeds and brush from around your backyard; put garbage in strong barrels with lids; put trash out only on the scheduled day rather than the night before; store bags of pet food indoors; watch your smallest pets outside.

These measures are worth our time, for living in La Habra Heights would not be the same without the beautiful chorus of the coyotes, our song dogs.