Watch Your Pets; Coyote Breeding Season Officially Kicks Off

It's an odd time of year for wildlife in the State of Colorado. Some are away for a long winter's nap, and some are more - well - "busy" than others.

Specifically the coyote community is a busy one this time of year, as mating season has officially kicked off, now through March. The peak happens officially around the middle to end of February... you know... around Valentine's Day. Sorry, couldn't resist.

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It's all fun and games until you find coyotes wandering neighborhoods amongst people and their pets, and sadly that's exactly what's starting to happen especially in areas that back up to the open space close to the mountains.

In Lafayette, two small dogs were attacked in separate yards by coyotes, prompting local officials to issue a warning to residents about not leaving pets unattended out in their yards, especially smaller ones. Fox31 in Denver reported that both were attacked in morning hours, when the coyotes are apparently more active.

Related: What Colorado Wildlife Does Every Year To Prepare for Winter

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an entire page on their website dedicated to best practices with living among coyotes.

While coyotes typically view smaller pets like cats or small dogs as prey, they also view larger dogs as a threat to them personally, and neither brings a good outcome. As a result, Colorado Parks and Wildlife says never to leave your pet unsupervised, even in a fenced yard, and be careful not to leave pet food out as it's possible it will draw coyotes close to your home.

For the record, by the way, even though mating season is now... coyotes don't have to wait 9 months to see their smiling pups. Most coyotes pups are born late April to mid May.