About Coydog
Coydog exists because pets are not accessories, problems to manage, or “training projects.”
They’re animals with real needs, preferences, and limits.
They deserve care that reflects that.
You deserve to be empowered by resources that allow you to do just that as their guardian.
What Coydog is – and isn’t
This site is for people who want to do better by their pets without being shamed, overwhelmed, or sold nonsense.
- Science over tradition
- Compassion without coddling
- Pet-centered care
- Accessibility for real people with real limits
- Practical guidance that works in real homes
“Coydog” became the name of this pet blog for a few reasons. Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future, and Compassion – within and without.
It wasn’t because there’s a real coydog hybrid here, though!
Honoring the Past
A long, long time ago in the year 2011, I had a successful pet blog called “Foxdog Blog.” The name came from the mascot, my Pomeranian, Vitaly.
Unfortunately, when I relocated to Oklahoma four years later, I was far out in the country without access to remotely decent internet connection. I had to let Foxdog Blog go.
When considering jumping into pet blogging again, I knew I wanted to honor the memory of Vitaly, who passed at quite an advanced age in 2023. Though I couldn’t bring myself to name this new iteration the same name, I wanted to keep it similar.
Embracing the Future
I got Tater in 2024, and he was the obvious choice of blog mascot – those big ears and other distinct features really lend themselves to graphics!
As a puppy, Tater bore a striking resemblance to a coyote-dog hybrid, or coydog. It was so pronounced that devices identified him as such, and people asked about this every time we were out.
This became one of his many little nicknames, my little coydog, and CoyoTater.
This seemed a good way to embrace the new era of both what would become Coydog and within my own life.
Compassion Starts with Ourselves – and within Ourselves
As weird as it might sound, and as odd the name might be, it’s also perfect for this blog because it’s rooted in compassion. It was compassion for our little fake coydog that drove me to rescue him – a dog with, well, a snowball’s chance of a good forever home due to breed mixture alone. His appearance, the only puppy of fifteen not merle, tri color, or spotted, and definitely the only one to look like a coyote, dingo, and a potato were spliced in a laboratory, had people’s worst behaviors on display, too.
I wasn’t sure I could be the right forever home at the time, but I knew I could at least provide him with a safe place and a good foundation for success. Obviously, I’m extremely happy that we can be together for life, but sometimes, it’s compassion to take a risk for someone else that matters most.
And always, compassion has to start with ourselves – with our recognition of what we can compassionately do to help, and the actions we take.
Compassion within ourselves – for ourselves and those we love – can be so much harder. It has to do with a lot of acceptance, and we all find that pretty hard! Compassion is acceptance that might seem obvious, like no, our pet isn’t perfect, but who is? No one is, but they can be perfect for us!
Harder than that is accepting ourselves. What can and cannot change – and why we might feel compelled to change those things in the first place. Many of us, without ever thinking about it, are a lot like a hybrid canine – a coydog. Something inherently both wild and domestic, and because of being both, we’re also neither. Though many of us (I’d hazard to guess that most of us) are like this, we fail to realize that makes us far from being the odd one out!
Compassion for yourself includes the same things that being compassionate toward your pet does – the same understanding, recognition, and acceptance. And both compassion inward and outward fuel each other.
While real coydogs are solidly not something Coydog the blog recommends be created, sought out, or “owned,” being a metaphorical coydog is just fine. Accepting the bits of this sort of a metaphor in yourself is an act of compassion that can help extend it to others.
Coydog Blog is here for compassionate outlooks and practices toward animals, embracing the science-backed realities of the animals that make our lives whole, and empowering guardians to do just that.
We think Coydog might be a bit unusual a name for a pet blog, but we also think it fits just right.
So, there’s definitely no real coydog at Coydog?
Nope! Well, I’m about 99% positive there isn’t, anyway!
Until we can get Tater a DNA test that tests for wild canines as well as domestic dog breeds, like this Wisdom Panel test in his wishlist, we won’t know that 100%.
I can say that this isn’t an impossibility – the setup of the area where Tater was born is a good one for forcing single coyotes to seek out unfixed dogs left unattended and at-large. However, wild-occuring coyote x dog hybrids are quite rare. The possibility of Tater actually having any coyote DNA is really unlikely!
So, as far as knowledge and likelihood goes? No, there is not a real coydog among the Coydog Blog Residents. Tater simply bore a serious resemblance to a hybrid when he was but a wee Tater Tot – a thing that commonly happens with sharper featured, upright eared, heavily sabled puppies and adult dogs that are millions of years away from any wild relative. Most dogs out there labeled as wolf or coyote hybrids are just that, dogs, not hybrids.
This is a good thing! We successfully live with and love our dogs because we evolved together as uniquely tied species. Humans likely wouldn’t be the same species today were it not for dogs (as well as horses, cats, and others), and dogs would literally not exist without us. They’re a wholly unique species who merely share a common, extinct ancestor with modern wolves. They’re not wolves in odd packaging.
Wolf and coyote hybrids, as well as dingoes, dholes, New Guinea Singing Dogs, and “pariah dogs” are all infinitely harder to be the guardian of than a domestic dog. Most often, the requirements of these unfortunate animals kept as pets are far beyond what their would-be guardians can provide. They live underwhelming, cruel, and shortened lives.
The Coydog Blog does not, in any way, support the breeding, purchasing, or keeping of wild or hybrid dogs (or most cats and others, for that matter). We also do not support the automatic removal or persecution of those animals being responsibly, ethically, and well kept by guardians and rescues. Animals who are well cared for, fulfilled, and safe should not be removed from that environment. These stances can, and we think should, coexist out of the genuine care for the animals overall and individually.
So, no, please do not go out and get one! But, if you are the tiny percentage of people who are responsibly, ethically keeping one? This blog is still for you, and we congratulate you on the extreme efforts you’ve undergone to ensure their extradorinary level of care is being met.
Who’s Behind Coydog
Hey there, I’m Shayla!
I grew up in rural northeastern Oklahoma, spent many years in New Orleans, and eventually returned to Oklahoma for health and family reasons. Animals have been a constant through all of it — long before they became my profession.
I’ve worked hands-on in nearly every corner of the pet world: dog daycare and boarding management, grooming, pet retail, rescue and rehabilitation, and independent pet care built around low-stress, behavior-informed practices.
In short: I’m a pet care professional with decades of hands-on experience in dog daycare management, grooming, rescue and rehabilitation, and multi-species care.
Why Trust this Advice?
Because I didn’t learn it from trends or influencers — I learned it on the floor, in the kennels, in grooming rooms, and in people’s homes. My advice is based on lived experience, applying continued education based in humane welfare and behavioral science.
I’ve managed large dog daycare and boarding facilities, fostered medically and behaviorally complex dogs, worked closely with rescues, and seen firsthand what outdated ideas and poor welfare standards do to animals.
Coydog does not promote products, practices, or advice I wouldn’t use with my own animals. When recommendations are opinion-based, I say so. When research is evolving, I say that too. Aversive methods and the mythology that drives them is never promoted.
How I Approach Pet Care
My work is informed by modern animal behavior science, learning theory, and real-world welfare outcomes — not dominance myths or fear-based practices. I prioritize low-stress handling, consent where possible, species-appropriate enrichment, and practical solutions that support both pets and their guardians.
I believe good advice should be evidence-based, compassionate, and adaptable to real life — including limited budgets, limited energy, and imperfect circumstances.
Thank you for being here!
I’m genuinely glad you found your way to Coydog, and am happy to start sharing resources with you!
Feel free to dive right into the whole blog, or check out Dog, Cat, or Review & Recommended posts. For a little more info on the posts, or if you feel overwhelmed by all the options, you can always Start Here.
There’s no right or wrong way to use and enjoy Coydog!
