DOWN FROM THE HILLS PREDATORS STALK PETS.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

CLARITA - Even though it's been a week since Chuck, one of his beloved dachshunds, was killed by a coyote, Jeff Lambert's voice still shakes with anguish.

``If we had only taken a little extra caution,'' Lambert said Monday, recounting the attack that also left his two other dogs, Lucy and Peanut, injured and badly shaken.

lew of coyote sightings in the hills around Santa Clarita has prompted city officials to issue a warning to residents to be on the lookout for the four-legged marauders and to take extra precautions.

``We want people just to be a little extra careful, especially with their pets,'' said city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz.

In recent weeks, coyotes have killed pets in the Valencia neighborhood of Bridgeport and in the mostly rural Sand Canyon, Ortiz said.

City officials suspect that after a record dry summer, coyotes are being forced out of the hills and canyons and into neighborhoods to look for food and water, Ortiz said.

Wildlife experts also believe that the coyotes, who for generations have been born and raised near urban areas like Santa Clarita, are simply becoming more brazen and bold.

The number of coyote sightings is also on the rise in the San Fernando Valley, where officials are trying to reduce the population without killing the animals.

Lambert, Santa Clarita's planning director, said it never occurred to him that coyotes could get past the six-foot-high fence into the back yard of his hillside home, even though neighbors had seen as many as five coyotes roaming the canyon.

``Chuck was our little hero,'' Lambert said. ``He saved his two sisters, and that's what counts.''

AVOIDING COYOTE ATTACKS

To keep coyotes at bay, the city of Santa Clarita offers a few recommendations:

--Cover trash cans and remove fallen fruit from yards, which should be kept fenced and secured.

--Do not feed coyotes, or attempt to befriend them.

--Clear brush and other vegetation.

--Deter animals with motion-sensor lights, sprinklers or noise-makers.

--Keep pets indoors during early morning and early evening hours, and at night.

--Do not leave small children unattended.

If you are approached by a coyote, the city of Santa Clarita recommends:

--Act ferociously by yelling and stamping your feet, and use a nearby object like a stick or a broom to keep the coyote away.

--If the coyote continues to approach, seek safety in a nearby building, but do not turn your back on the animal.

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(1 -- 2 -- color) Jeffrey Lambert holds his surviving dachshunds, Peanut and Lucy, above, after a coyote attack last week at his Circle J Ranch home killed a third, Chuck. Below, Lambert shows scars on Lucy's neck from the predatory assault.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer

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AVOIDING COYOTE ATTACKS (see text)