Coyotes are very aware of even small changes in their environment. Here, something big has happened and they are checking it out, looking around, spooking, “tasting” it and marking it. It was not until several days after the fire that they would even approach the area. As time goes on, the change will be accepted as the way things are, but initially this is never the case where coyotes are concerned.
I was not there to see the fire as it occurred, and probably neither were these coyotes, or they might have tried putting it out in its early stages! Hope Ryden in her book, God’s Dog, on page 144 refers to an incident she witnessed whereby a coyote put out a small fire (posted in May of 2011) which I’m reprinting here again, below:
“Did you know that coyotes put out fires?” The man asking the question had been smoking a cigarette, which is what probably prompted the question to Hope as they observed a coyote. The man proceeded to set an envelope on fire with his cigarette and tossed it in the coyote’s direction. The coyote quickly “pounced on it, and began drumming the flames with her forefeet while bouncing on and off the blaze until only the edges still had sparks”. The fire wasn’t out yet, so the coyote, with its shoulder, pushed the scrap of paper with embers against the ground, then stood up to examine it, and repeated this again. The fire was now out. Apparently all coyotes put out fires — small fires. Wow!!
Sep 20, 2014 @ 02:35:39
They’re very intelligent. I wonder if other canines do this.
Mar 10, 2025 @ 22:12:12
For the first time ever, because of a discussion on Facebook yesterday, I did a Google search “do coyotes put out fires?”,just to see what might be out there. After the AI response (which was negative), came your blog from a decade ago. I thought you might also appreciate my own experiences, so I have copied my comment here!
“ I read God’s Dog long ago, and remember the talk about “coyotes put out fire”. At the time, I had access to several captive (former pets) coyotes, all of whom absolutely proved that true! They stomped it out, then rolled on it, peed on it, and lastly “territorially” scratched it vigorously. Similar to what Smokey Bear says! So I always added it to school tours or talks, telling kids (and adults) that “a coyote might have saved your life once”. I would suggest a thoughtless jerk had tossed a cigarette out the car window, and it was just starting to create a small fire in the weeds when a coyote happened to trot by. Then I described how many captive coyotes had put out small fires, and asked participants to imagine how coyotes might put “water” on the fire. 🤗 Kids all had pretty creative ideas, but were too embarrassed to suggest the truth, ha ha! We often featured a pictorial on poster board for the zoo’s participation in Fire Prevention Week, in hopes even a few would think more favorably about their local God’s Dogs. ❤️” (I managed the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary for 23 years)
Mar 10, 2025 @ 22:19:52
Hi there! Thanks so much for sending this — it was wonderful to read it!! Warmly, Janet