Pets

Prickly pelt to protect pooches from predators

Prickly pelt to protect pooches from predators
The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways
The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways
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The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack themselves in 2014
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The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack themselves in 2014
The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways
2/5
The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways
The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack themselves in 2014
3/5
The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack themselves in 2014
The CoyoteZapper accessory neutralizes a threat through an electric shock
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The CoyoteZapper accessory neutralizes a threat through an electric shock
The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways
5/5
The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways
View gallery - 5 images

If your canine companion is of the smaller, more vulnerable variety you may have wondered how you could safeguard against vicious attacks from larger animals. Rather than training Fido up to fend off the assailants himself, fitting the pet with a prickly protective vest that scares off predatory coyotes might be a more practical option.

The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack in 2014. Not long after their dog Buffy was captured in the jaws of a coyote and dragged away never to be seen again, Paul and Pam Mott began to explore ways they could help prevent similarly nasty attacks in the future.

The result is an armored vest designed to protect small animals in a few different ways. The spiked collar is intended to prevent neck bites and the deadly shaking that normally follows, while the vest itself is made from stab-resistant Kevlar, which should be enough to block even the sharpest of fangs. Some porcupine-like quills sprouting from the back add another layer of protection.

The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack themselves in 2014
The CoyoteVest was dreamt up by a Californian couple who experienced the heartbreak of a wild dog attack themselves in 2014

Lastly, and perhaps most ominously, an optional "CoyoteZapper" accessory neutralizes a threat through an electric shock delivered by two highly conductive strips that can be attached to the CoyoteVest along with a shock module. With a push of a button, this allows pet owners to deliver a zap and force an attacker to drop the dog from their jaws before they can make off with their catch.

The CoyoteVest probably won't win your dog any Best in Show awards, but will make snatching it up an entirely different proposition for would-be predators. The makers claim that it will not impair the dog's ability to run and play, and that the CoyoteZapper is harmless but just painful enough to force their release.

Starter Packs are available through the CoyoteVest website priced at US$109, which includes the vest, spikes and the quills. The optional CoyoteZapper is priced at $60.

Source: CoyoteVest

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10 comments
10 comments
GeneMoore
The predators whit eyes will grab the head and making lunch look like robo rooster,,,just improves the aim.!!! Owl lunch ='s rooster.
Peter Kelly
Kevlar in the vest merely demonstrates a lack of knowledge as to how biting works, especially as regards coyotes and wolves.
The risk is not the puncture, although that may be of concern in terms of infection later, but rather crush injuries caused by the power of the bite. The teeth primarily give grip to hold on while they kill their prey. Only afterwards is the 'cutting' of importance.
If this device works at all (and I suspect it would depend upon how hungry the predator is) then most likely will be because the predator will be unsure what the animal is, as wild animals are always wary of new things for their own self-preservation.
equator180
Someone was in the medical pot container again. I love dogs, having two but really who ever thought this up is really high..
Jill
We had our dog attacked by a cougar. My husband was able to beat him with his thermos and save our dog. This is a good start and might help. I think the shock part is the best. Predators use teeth and their bodies to hold down their prey. It only needs one good shock .
JmB
Um, what about when the dog does something perfectly normal - like get over excited at the sight of a stranger - and jumps up, or rolls over on someones foot... Anyone need a canine hole-punch?
Dan Lewis
Drat! I'm agreeing with the majority comment -- back to the drawing board. I'm thinking it needs 'rupturable' scent packs to discourage coyote, wolf or cougar. You wouldn't want the dog wearing the thing around the house, unless you were about to demolish it.
ezeflyer
"Dart and release" is another option. Like "catch and release", it would allow permanent open season for predators to keep them from snatching pets.
"Hunters" would dart predators with tranquilizer guns, photograph them, take data, vaccinate, cure disease and parasites, collar and release these unharmed. The collars would have a receiver that would apply a gradual shock as the predator nears a transmitter on pets, people and property. It would soon learn avoidance without necessity for collars.
Dart and release "hunting" could substitute for the blood sport and allow the best of the species to thrive and restore natural processes that bullet hunters and other humans have interfered with. Photos, holographs and videos of the "hunt" would please wives and scare children less than dust-catching stuffed animal heads on walls.
Hunting outfits could convert to "dart and release" with permanent open seasons increasing their profits. And store bought meat is tastier and more tender than gamy, tough wild meat.
Wolf0579
Or, 1) you could just be aware when in predator country, to NOT LET YOUR DOG RUN LOOSE. It's against the law in most states.
2) Keep a sidearm when in predator country. Although it's Humans who are to blame for the vast majority of predator/human conflict. If land developers weren't so greedy, there'd be more space for the wildlife who were there first.
S Michael
Give me a break... LOL
Bill Bennett
From personal experience it needs more neck protection, my Pom JJ was attacked while walking back into my yard on leash by a "killer dog" suffered bites behind his ears and on his neck, the dog owner bragged to neighbors that his dog killed anything smaller than it. Yeah, his got got put down, yeah still waiting since June for the jerk to pay for the vet bills he caused.