Please put your small dogs and cats indoors at night

It’s wonderful living here, near rolling hills, open space and the Santa Monica Mountains.

Although we’re conveniently close to a world class city, we live on its edge, among the rugged beauty of a semi-rural area. It’s not unusual to see deer and other wildlife as we go about our busy lives, reminding us that we share our part of the world with a rich variety of fauna and flora.

But sometimes we forget to be responsible, especially as pet owners.

It’s that time of year when some pet owners will find that their small dogs or cats have mysteriously disappeared. The lucky ones will call the Agoura Animal Shelter and eventually decide that their beloved pet ran away for some inexplicable reason.

Many will neither know nor suspect what really happened.

For those who’ve lived here for years, the dark secret is one that they won’t share with a neighbor whose dog or cat "ran away." Nobody wants to think that their little dog or cat was simply a victim in the balance of nature.

If you leave your cat or small dog outdoors at night, you’re taking a chance with your pet’s welfare.

Roving coyotes enter our neighborhoods as early as dusk to drink from our swimming pools and to seek as prey whatever’s available.

They work alone or in small packs. They aren’t afraid to go several miles into our communities—a long way from the open areas in which they live.

Be a responsible pet owner.

Put your dog or cat indoors at nighttime. A six-foot fence presents no barrier at all against a healthy coyote. Please don’t become a victim who witnesses a pet attack or finds a bloody collar.

Too many "runaway pets" around here didn’t run away.

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