Protect Pets and Children from Coyotes in Arizona

This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources. The desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential; see our editorial policy.

The sources we could open agree on one point for pets: coyotes take advantage of animals left outside unsupervised, and the safest pet is one that is indoors, in an enclosure, or supervised. This hub collects what University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, UC IPM, Pima Animal Care Center and the CDC say. For the full picture of what draws coyotes in, see Coyote Information for Arizona Homeowners; for a face-to-face sighting, see What to do during a sighting.

If a coyote has attacked or injured your pet, get veterinary attention first, then call Pima Animal Care Center at 520-724-5900, then press 4.

Supervise pets outdoors

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension says to supervise your pets outdoors and not let them roam freely, because they may end up as a meal for coyotes, hawks, owls, bobcats and other predators, or come into conflict with javelina and skunks. UC IPM goes further and says never to allow cats or dogs to run free at any time, as they are easy prey.

Small pets, cats and large dogs

UC IPM advises keeping small pets indoors or in enclosed kennels and bringing large dogs in after dark. Pima County’s health department says to keep cats and ferrets indoors and to supervise dogs.

Walking a dog

UC IPM advises keeping dogs on a leash in busy areas, avoiding dawn and dusk walks, and varying your routine. AZGFD’s August 2025 bulletin asks residents to keep dogs leashed and to supervise pets outdoors, especially where wildlife is present. If you meet a coyote on a walk, follow the steps in the encounter guide, and do not let your dog approach it.

Feeding and yard habits that protect pets

Feed pets indoors, or remove leftover pet food from outdoors at once, and store pet food securely, say extension sources. Pet food outside attracts coyotes and other wildlife that then come close to your pets. See the yard and home guide for the full list.

Vaccinations

The CDC says to keep pets up to date on rabies vaccines and away from wild animals as much as possible. Pima County says to vaccinate pets, including indoor cats, and says current dog vaccinations are required by law. AZGFD’s bulletin also says to make sure pets are fully vaccinated and to ask your veterinarian about canine distemper, which affects canids and is dangerous to unvaccinated dogs.

If your pet has contact with a wild animal

Pima Animal Care Center’s March 2021 release says to take your animal to the vet for a rabies booster and to call Animal Protection at 520-724-5900, option 4. The same release described a 45-day home quarantine for pets with a prior rabies vaccination and 120 days of shelter observation for pets never vaccinated; those are 2021 figures, so confirm the current rules with Pima Animal Care Center. See Who to Call.

Children

We could not find a dedicated child-safety page from AZGFD that we were able to open, so this section is limited to what we did open. Pima County’s health department says to teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they seem friendly, and to stay away from wild animals that are injured or acting odd. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension says attacks on people usually occur when animals associate people with food, which is another reason to keep food out of reach. Check the AZGFD living with coyotes page for AZGFD’s current guidance on children.

If a person is bitten or scratched

Wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical care urgently, says the CDC. Tell your provider what animal was involved and whether it was acting abnormally.

What AZGFD says about pets and coyotes

AZGFD says coyotes are usually timid but that bold coyotes have attacked small dogs, including dogs on retractable leashes (AZGFD, Living with Coyotes, accessed 2026-11-14). Its pet advice, in short:

• Keep small pets indoors or in a roofed enclosure, and supervise pets at night and dawn.
• Always keep dogs leashed.
• Do not count on a fence: AZGFD says a 6-foot fence is not reliable protection because coyotes are skilled jumpers.
• Keep domestic birds such as chickens, ducks and turkeys in a sturdy, roofed enclosure, and do not spread seed on the ground, which attracts prey and so coyotes.
• Feed pets inside, and remove pet food, water bowls, bird feeders and fallen fruit from the yard.

Attractants that put pets at risk

AZGFD lists unattended pets themselves, with pet food, garbage and fallen fruit, as food sources, and pet bowls, fountains and pools as water sources. It also says shrubs, storm drains and spaces under sheds and porches give coyotes shelter (AZGFD). Trimming ground-level shrubs, securing garbage (put out on the morning of pickup) and using motion-activated lights, sprinklers or noise are on AZGFD’s prevention list, as is working with neighbors.

Mating and denning season

AZGFD says coyotes mate from January to March and raise 4 to 7 pups in a den from March to May (AZGFD). A coyote with a den nearby may be more protective, so keep dogs leashed and away from dens and brush, and do not haze it.

If a coyote approaches while you are with a pet or child

AZGFD’s encounter steps include never approaching a coyote, keeping eye contact, not turning and running, leashing pets, picking up small pets and children, and moving toward people, buildings or activity. It also lists loud noises as a way to scare a coyote off (AZGFD). AZGFD lists further deterrents too; this guide focuses on noise and distance. See What to Do If You See a Coyote.

Feeding is unlawful

Feeding wildlife (except birds and tree squirrels) is unlawful in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under A.R.S. 13-2927, according to AZGFD’s April 2023 tips release; some cities and counties have their own ordinances, so check local rules and confirm with AZGFD (checked on 2026-11-14).

If a coyote attacks a person

If a coyote is approaching or has bitten a person, call 911 and seek medical care immediately for any bite; AZGFD’s 24-hour Communications Center for wildlife acting aggressively toward people is 623-236-7201 (AZGFD tips release).

More on this topic

• Coyote seasons and pet safety
• Pet safety by season guide, a printable checklist
• Keeping small dogs safe from coyotes
• Walking your dog where coyotes live