Folks have sighted coyotes here in Providence often enough that I'm cautious to never let my dog out in the backyard without keeping an eye on him. (Common sense anyway.)

Several weeks ago my husband and I woke to the sounds of a small crying dog at 2 am. After an hour of listening to it we got up to see what was going on. Found the poor thing a few blocks away, forgotten in the freezing rain outside his own home. My husband spotted what he thought were coyotes investigating the scene as well. They ran off when we approached, and fortunately the owner came out shortly thereafter to collect his dog.

There are enough stray cats and dogs in this city to keep a coyote well-fed, I think.