A man and his two large dogs ran into a pack of coyotes in the Wilden area Sunday morning. Garrett Ainsworth was walking his husky cross and Irish wolfhound along the trails east of Upper Canyon Drive North about 9:30 a.m. when they encountered a coyote crouched in the grass near the trail. Ainsworth says his two dogs took off after the lone coyote and he followed. “It was probably a decoy maneuver because they’re pretty sneaky that way,” Ainsworth said. “I ran after them, but as I’m going down the hill, three of them [the coyotes] they’re chasing our dogs up the hill and rattling their hindquarters.’ Ainsworth said one of the coyotes started attacking him as well and he had to kick it. The pack left, but returned moments later, leading to a second brawl. “I got them out of there as fast as possible,” Ainsworth said. “I saw a total of five, but I could hear them all screaming and it sounded like there were a lot more than five. “They probably have pups in the area, so they’re probably protecting them, but I’ve never come across that before.” Ainsworth said his husky cross is about 80 pounds and his Irish wolfhound is about 120 pounds, but the smaller coyotes ended up biting the cross on the inside of the leg. Ainsworth said they will take the dog to the vet on Sunday morning, Ainsworth has lived in the area for about a year and has walked his dogs in the area many times. While he has seen coyotes there before, he has never had any fights with them. “Usually we see one and it takes off and that’s the end of the story,” he said. “I’ve never had a counterattack like that… To have a shot against me was shocking.” Ainsworth says the trail system is a popular walking area and wants others to be aware of aggressive coyotes there.
