I live North of San Francisco in a very rural area. When I look out my window to the grassy hill and woods that are next to my house, I see all manner of wildlife: wild turkeys, deer, turkey vultures, and hawks. The other day I glanced out my window and saw a couple of coyotes. Now my three-year-old loves being able to practically walk up to the animals we see (we always remain a respectful distance), and I worried about the coyotes and the dangers they might present. Three-feet-of-fun never goes anywhere without me or his dad, but I wanted to know what the odds were that I was going to have to fend off a coyote attack while taking my son on a ramble around our house.

I was relieved to find out that attacks on humans are relatively uncommon and rarely cause serious injuries in rural areas. Coyotes have a natural fear of humans, but they’re extremely versatile and can survive in urban areas as well. That’s where the problems tend to arise; they get desensitized to humans.

If there are coyotes in your area, and chances are they’re there, here are some tips to ensure that coyotes stay wild and neighborly:

• Do not attempt to approach them and make friends.
• If you have a dog, don’t let it play with them.
• Don’t leave food and water sources out on your property. When your pet comes inside so should the food and water.
• If coyotes hang around your property, make them feel unwelcome. Shout, make loud and unusual noises, spray water at them, throw small objects in their direction. These are all vexing techniques and help keep coyotes fearful.
• Keep your pets safe with proper supervision or confinement especially at peak coyote hours — dawn and dusk.
• Keep your dog on a leash in areas where coyotes have been sighted.