Coyote or Dog ?

Why not both? Coydogs are not unheard of. On the other hand, color variations in full blood coyotes goes from dark grey/tan here on the prairie to almost white/grey up in the mtns. Height of a German Shepard is a little tall for most I see around here and the one you've photographed looks a lot heavier than the ones I see. Still, I'd go with Coyote.

Target. It is what appears to be a coydog. Snout too stubby and ears a bit small for coyote, but it definately has the right body shape. If it’s that close to people it’s a problem. 12ga 00 buck. You seem to have the calling part figured out.

That's not atypical for an Eastern coydog. But the willingness to get in so close to people does give pause as to whether it could be more feral dog than coydog.

You could always recruit a do-gooder to come an "rescue" it. Might be fairly amusing to watch. The hipster from the Humane Society trying to lure it in could offer hours of amusement.

red rick said:

I doubt they would ever get close to it .

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Plus, the Starbucks cup litter and wafting stench of patchouli oil might offset the comedic value.

MutinousDoug said:

Height of a German Shepard is a little tall for most I see around here and the one you've photographed looks a lot heavier than the ones I see. Still, I'd go with Coyote.

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Coyotes tend to be bigger in the east. We'll occasionally get ones that are over 70 lbs. They definitely mix with dogs and there are some who think they hybridized with wolves as they moved east through Canada and then south and back west through New England.

Feral dog. Its head/nose profile is too blunt for a 50/50 coydog.

A member of our club near Selma, Ala. shot a 65 lb. "coyote" with his bow. We weighed it on the deer scale and the biologist took it to study. The next year he said it was ~ 75% coyote and 25% dog. The critter looked exactly like a huge coyote.

I don't think you can tell for sure if it is a feral dog, coyote, or hybrid from appearance alone.

I would not worry all that much about what it is. Call animal control and tell them there is a stray dog in the area and let them come deal with it since you cannot just shoot it. I would not be mentioning anything about any coyotes since you do not have the expertise to decide just what it is. looks like stray dog to me.

Coy-dog. The tough part is telling the difference between wild dogs and Coy-dogs. You
pretty much shoot them anyway, so it's a moot comparison.

ilbob said:

looks like stray dog to me.

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^^^^ Gets my vote too. It's mannerisms suggest a stray (but timid) dog as well.

Dog... ears are too round.

Feral dog. Coyotes are always on the move. If this dog stopped long enough for you to take a pic it's probably not a coyote. Just a guess.

Coyotes come thru my property almost every week. They massacre the neighbors free range chickens.

If you do call animal control, make sure you tell them it is a dog. Out here in Colorado, it's been my experience that animal control is reluctant to mess with a coyote, especially if it has pups, even if it is on school grounds.

Because it’s seeking out humans my guess is it’s a dumped dog, as to what breeds that would be anyone’s guess.

Because I live on a dirt road in the country I’ve seen some suprising breeds dumped over the years.

there’s something living and breeding around here (because I’ve seen them over a 30 year span) that predates the coyote arrival that definitely looks more wolf than dog.

D-o-g.

red rick said:

A mountain man from Idaho came here with his white wolf hybrid about 9 years ago to visit his brother .

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Gotta watch out for those dogs of the “mountain men from Idaho.” I’ve attached a couple of pictures of our dog, Ruger, and his twin brother, Gunner at a Mountain Man Rendezvous 10 years ago, as well a Mountain Man Rendezvous last year.

Ruger is the one with the yellow tag. Gunner belongs to “mountain woman," Penny. Penny lives in Arizona though. So I guess she doesn’t exactly qualify as a “mountain woman from Idaho.” However, both Ruger and Gunner definitely qualify as “mountain man from Idaho” dogs. Because 11 years ago, a “mountain woman from Idaho” gave them both away at a Mountain Man Rendezvous near here.

BTW, I think it's just a dog. An ugly dog, almost as ugly as our neighbor's dog, Rambo. But a dog nonetheless.

Definitely a scared dog. Hanging around means it knows what humans are and do for him, but something caused him to be timid.

Looks kinda like a great pyrenees mixed with a lab. Especially the black skin which both breeds can have.

Other than the typical canine form, I dont see any yote in that there snowball.

BigBlue 94 said:

Definitely a scared dog. Hanging around means it knows what humans are and do for him, but something caused him to be timid.

Looks kinda like a great pyrenees mixed with a lab. Especially the black skin which both breeds can have.

Other than the typical canine form, I dont see any yote in that there snowball.

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Agreed