Well, coyotes, that's a big subject. And, yes, some of them do get cozy. Beth Schacter, who is a member of the Echo Park Animal Alliance, has a coyote not exactly for a pet but as more or less a member of the outdoors household at her home, which sounds like quite the peaceable kingdom, if you're not counting some comic dog-chasing-coyote scenes. Edward Hicks would be proud.

In response to a Chicken Corner query, Beth emailed me the following description:

Slacker Coyote (which is what we have dubbed him) started coming around in early July. We live next to a house which sold this year and the old tenant of the guest house used to feed him. At first we thought he was a pup but he's definitely older. We see him for a few days and then he disappears for a few days. We think he's a he.

Mostly he grooms and sleeps. The cats seem to like him, and we haven't had any cat casualties so far. Dead possums and zero mice. I think he's living in the above mentioned house which is empty and being renovated.

He seems like a dog to me. Sleeps, licks, sleeps, stretches, sleeps some more. Harry, our rottweiller and Lulu or shepherd mix are both obsessed with him, but when confronted with the opportunity to chase him they were too slow, too loud and too clumsy. They ended up on the dirt, panting, barking and chasing each other!

Anyway, I think he's decided that things are good enough here to stick it out. He's got a nice coat and no ribs sticking out so clearly he's eating. And he's larger than a lot of coyotes I see -- maybe 40lbs? But mostly I would say he slacks -- sleeps all day in the sunshine.

In response to follow-up questions from Chicken Corner, Beth added in a later email:

We have a bunch of cats in the neighborhood including a stray we all share named Snow Boy. Snow Boy and Fubar sort of check [Slacker] out and then ignore him but Bonsai hangs out with the coyote, sleeping near him, and following him. So far, [Slacker] seems to be fine with his kitty minions. No deaths yet.