Howl to Us of Your Coyote Encounters

I was jogging on a Shell Ridge trail recently and noticed a pair of coyotes before they noticed me.

When I got closer, they dashed off — one kept to the trail and the other went down, down the hill. I was hoping I didn't split up a couple.

I was reminded of that when I read a good read last weekend — by Peter Fimrite in the Chronicle — taking a look at the coyote population trying to stage a comeback in San Francisco. There are three pups roaming around Golden Gate Park. Citywide, the estimate is 13 coyotes.

The piece went into a recurring debate:

• Coyotes are good for the ecosystem.
• Coyotes are a hazard, threatening to smaller animals, sometimes little Fido or Mittens or Bessie.

I thought I'd throw the topic out here for Walnut Creek, where we know a little more about the urban-wilderness interface than they do in that metropolis across the bay. Have you got a good coyote story (or photo) for our comment section below? Or, if the story is longer than that, please email to the editor at lance.howland@patch.com.