Coyote, Dog Toy Thief

Coyote, Dog Toy Thief

Deb Diehl
Digital photographs, string, magnets, and dog toys, 2022

Sharing a backyard with a host of wildlife in Los Angeles, I noticed coyotes occasionally carry found objects, especially dog toys, near their dens. As humans receded from the urban landscape during the lockdown, I observed the wildlife expand over the land and the local coyotes’ stash of dog toys grow increasingly larger.  When I started to document the confiscated toys near the arroyo where I live, my neighbors joined in, contributing the deposits they had also found on their own property.  To better understand if/when/how the coyotes engaged with the toys, I set out a basket of old dog toys and my hunting trap cameras to record activity around it.  Not only did they take my offerings, but the coyotes also kept the basket.  Only the Monkey and Plastic Bear were left behind.

Overhead Print courtesy of Google Earth.