Concerning Trend: Are "Coydogs" A Thing In North Dakota?

As I heard coyotes howling at the moon last night, it got me thinking again about something disturbing that is now occurring in North Dakota.

You may or may not be aware of what I'm about to tell you. You likely already know how the coyote population in North Dakota has exploded. They are statewide now and are even showing up in urban populations now, oftentimes looking for food or even a mate.

A firsthand account of "Coydogs" in North Dakota.

This brings me to the story of a friend of mine who lives just south of Fargo. He's actually in the Horace area. A very popular place to live in the Fargo area now, if you want to live out of town but still be close to the city.

A couple of years ago, he had a Yellow Lab who he was getting ready to breed with another lab stud. He didn't think his dog was in heat yet, but he found out the hard way she was.

One evening he heard a commotion coming from outside and when he went to investigate, he found his lab female mating with a coyote right between the fence.

He came back out with a gun, but the coyote had already fled the scene. What happened next? You guessed it, his dog had a small litter of lab/coyote hybrids.

This animal is known as "Coydogs" and although rare, Coydogs are possible. According to Dog Academy, Coydogs are becoming more common, especially, as more people move out into the country.

Domesticated dogs and coyotes typically don't have the same heat cycle but when they do, it is possible for Coydogs.

What were my friends Coydogs like?

He still has one of them today. The pup was like most labs growing up, but he did notice some non-typical overly aggressive behavior not normally seen in lab puppies.

I myself, would be afraid the animal would turn on him one day. Coyotes have become increasingly aggressive with humans as their numbers continue to increase.

In case you would like to see a Coydog yourself, check out this video. There's even a guy in California that breeds them.

The video is courtesy of the Animal Watch YouTube Channel.