Episode 2: Coyote Bait

Monday morning Memorial Day and my husband is pissed at Kira, our little American Rat Terrier.
Evidently, the encounter she had with a young coyote 3 days earlier in which it took a bite out of her back and left a deep tooth mark hole, did not sit well with her and she was ready for another fight head on.

After her morning walk, my husband decided to do some front yard gardening at the last minute before he headed for the airport for yet another business trip. It's around 6 AM and Kira sat patiently in front of the mailbox on the curb looking out of the cul de sac towards the road from the bike trail.
He just happened to look up from his work to see Kira silently charging down the road.
Normally, she would bark and growl when she sees another dog in the distance. A warning sign. Not this time. He saw the coyote walking back and forth in the road watching Kira come.
Upon deaf ears, Kira ignored her owner's command and kept charging towards the coyote that had taken a bite out of her.

This whole incident reminded me of the time when the girls were young and my husband said he would watch the kids in the pool while he gardened. I was in the kitchen looking out the wall length window, watching him watch the kids because as I learned over the years, he focuses on the immediate job in front of him instead of his surroundings. I saw the second child jump in the pool immediately after the first child, landing on top of the other. My husband was directly over the incident, weeding in the planter, completely unaware. I ran yelling, from the kitchen towards the pool, to warn him to get the child out of the pool. She was slightly traumatized.  I know it can take only a moment in the wrong place at the wrong time, to die.

This time, my husband was alert when Kira silently left the yard. Maybe the silence was more palpable of an omen; than the rambunctious sound of kids playing.

He started running towards Kira, yelling for her to stop.  When she stopped, he hit her with his hat because he was so upset with her; knowing it could be her death awaiting.  As soon as he turned to walk home, she bolted again towards the coyote. This time the coyote came closer.  My husband's only hope was to chase the coyote away by running towards it waving his arms. As the coyote ran, so did Kira run towards it.

Could she survive a coyote fight?   I guess I will never know since she just limited her freedom for lack of having a sixth sense.