Bad stuff

mrolson · Mar 20, 2002

Sorry for the bad topic. I had to put down the in-laws dog last November. The vet wanted an additional $30 for disposal and I should have taken them up on it. Yesterday I can’t get my dog in from the back. I drive over and find the coyotes have dug up what should be left alone. If my wife finds out, she will go nuts. I dug a few feet deeper (as far as I could) and placed rocks before reburying. I put a BIG rock on top. I get up this morning a find they have been digging some more. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions about this?

Mark_in_NH · Mar 20, 2002

Mark,
This is something we have been known to do to get rid of unwanted bears, can't imagine why it wouldn't work on coyotes. Take a can of all that old cooking grease, old bacon fat etc. most everyone I know has one in the kitchen. Lace it full of Cayane pepper and anything else hot and nasty you can think of. Mix it up real good and then smear some of it around where the coyotes have been digging. They will smell that and think there in doggy bacon heaven untill the pepper kicks in. You may hear them howling, but it won't be at the moon. Works Fantastic on bears,

fmorgan · Mar 20, 2002

Mark--

If they actually dig up the remains again, I think that scattering lime before reburying is a time-tried way of minimizing grave digging by varmits. I'd guess there is enough scent around the gravesite now that the coyotes are just digging based on surface scent; I wonder, without knowing, whether spraying bleach or something like that would discourage them.

--Rick

JJT · Mar 20, 2002

My experience - bury them as deep as possible, use as many stones as possible and stack a good sized pile of stones on top. Never had one dug up and we have lots of coyotes.

Anonymous Poster · Mar 20, 2002

Had the almost same problem when my wife burried our dog in a too shallow grave.....I coiled some barbed wire around the site,and all was well.

MReeter · Mar 20, 2002

Mark,had the same problem,I mixed moth balls in the top layer of soil and around the grave.No more digging by varments.

rancar · Mar 20, 2002

Yes Mark. I agree with the mothball remedy. The stench from these things will chase anything away until they lose their potency. You can periodically replace these until the critter problem is solved.

Thomas · Mar 21, 2002

Try putting some lime over the area before they return.

Anonymous Poster · Mar 21, 2002

It's too late this time, but I always put the body in a large garbage bag to reduce the scent. Not very ceremonious, but better than the situation you are experiencing. Bury as deep as you can.

My dog cemetery is well in front of my house; only about 200 ft from a well-traveled road. This probably also has reduced grave disturbance over the years.

I think the lime only works if it is placed directly on the body. The moth ball idea should work regardless. My experience says that the hot pepper idea is unlikely to work on hungry canids unless they have easy access to other food sources (i.e. burning your mouth beats starving).

PhilNH5 · Mar 21, 2002

I have had much success with crushed pepper flakes and ground hot pepper. I don't mix it with anything. Sprinkle liberally on the body and then after every couple of layers of dirt. Then lots in the top layer of dirt and on the surface. I think it may mask the scent of the animal that has been buried. Also if a carnivore takes a sniff it will get a snoutful of burn and be pretty gun-shy about coming back.

I am a little leary of mothballs as deterents. They use to be made of napthalene which is pretty nasty stuff. Not something I want in my soil. I have had neighbors who swear by them. Especially for keeping cats away. But I still am overly cautious.

Phil