Avoiding unexpected dog-wildlife encounters
British Columbians love spending time with their dogs outdoors, but unexpected wildlife encounters can have negative impacts for dogs, wild animals, and yourself!
You can help minimize risks by learning more about the impacts of unexpected dog-wildlife encounters and taking action to keep everyone safe.
Learn about seasonal milestones
Depending on where you live in the province, you may regularly encounter different species of wildlife. An important first step in coexisting with wildlife is to learn about seasonal behaviour that may increase the risk of unexpected encounters.
Some examples include:
- Deer rutting season from mid-October to December may result in deer acting more defensive. Keep dogs on leash and check your yard before letting dogs outside if you live in an area with plenty of deer.
- Coyotes may be more defensive during their pup-rearing season from April to September. If you are heading into forested areas or areas with known coyote activity, make sure your dogs are leashed to prevent conflicts.
Things to do at home to prevent unexpected dog-wildlife encounters
1. Turn lights on before letting your dog out at night
If you have a yard and regularly let your dog out at night, consider turning on porch lights and doing a quick check before letting them outside. Many wild animals, like raccoons, cougars, rodents, and coyotes are active at night and can become startled and defensive. Turning lights on or making noise (such as hand clapping) before letting your dog outside can allow wild animals to leave the area and minimize the risk of conflict.
2. Do a “baby check” during Spring and Summer
In the Spring and Summer, doing a quick ‘baby check’ around your outdoor spaces can prevent wild babies from getting hurt. Dogs may cause harm to baby birds, rabbits and squirrels if you let them into a yard because you didn’t realize wild babies were there.
3. Reduce attractants around your property
Make sure that you remove attractants around your home to reduce the risk of wildlife lingering nearby. This can include storing garbage and compost, so it is inaccessible to wild animals, never feeding companion animals outdoors, cleaning up spilled birdseed, picking all fruit from trees, and cleaning barbecues.
How to prepare when heading into nature
Considering taking your dog to a beach, mountain or forest? Unfortunately, dogs can cause harm to wild animals like rabbits, squirrels, birds or wild babies like seal pups. Dogs can also be harmed by wildlife when they are scared or startled and need to defend themselves.
Follow these tips to minimize harm to wild animals and your dog and avoid unexpected encounters:
- Always keep dogs leashed. This will prevent surprise encounters and allow you to give wild animals lots of space, preventing the need for defensive behaviour.
- Consider talking, singing or making a moderate amount of noise to alert wild animals to your presence.
- Stay on designated trails to minimize the risk of a surprise encounter.
- Leave no trace. Clean up all garbage and food to avoid attracting wild animals to areas with lots of human activity.
- Don’t let dogs chase birds. Many birds, such as snow geese, are migrating and often need to rest between long flights. Chasing them means they need to use precious energy to fly away and keep themselves safe.
Don’t forget to get involved with local coexistence education initiatives and check for seasonal updates from your municipality. By spreading the word and helping others coexist, you can keep your pets and wild animals safe!