Expert: Mongo - 4/15/2009

Question
Can you suggest methods to attract feral dogs?  I'm trying to photograph them
in the city, and they're very wary.  I can't bait them with food, because it's
illegal.  Would a predator call work?  Are there scents that might work?  Thanks!

Answer
Hello Jim,

Jim, about all I can tell you is to try those things and see. While a number of times thru the years I have caught feral dogs in traps, and called them in with predator calls, I have never intentionally attempted to attract them. They were generally caught in traps set for coyotes, or called in when calling basically to coyotes or other predators.

About all I could suggest is that you treat them as you would coyotes... You say baiting them is illegal there, so that severely restricts the suggestions I could give... So, with that being the case, like I say, you could try attracting them using the same methods used for coyotes. I would use a lure or lures (scents) that are advertised as for use on coyotes....and for a predator call sound, you might try either a distressed bunny, or canine puppies.... I will say, however, that you may wait a few hours or a few days for anything to be attracted to the lures, and you also take the chance of luring in or calling people's pets using these methods... Also, in a good many areas it is not legal to set any foothold traps inside the city limits or where people and/or their pets are commonly found using the area...so you may want to check on the legality of this before trying it...that is...IF...you had planned to set traps... If not, then this is not a concern.

I will also say this... Feral dogs will be much more commonly found and seen out and about at night, most generally hunting for food...and because of this I will make this suggestion... For simply attracting and taking pictures of feral dogs in a city or neighborhood environment, were it me, I would first try to determine the area(s) they normally and most commonly go to, principally for food...and I would use the lures (scents) there... You will probably find that one of the most common places they visit in their nightly excursions are people's garbage containers... I would place some of the lure on various garbage containers that I could keep my eye on. This should attract them to these specific containers as they pass thru the area. And the closer the lures are placed to their line of travel, the better the chance of drawing them in and keeping them there for a time... Also, keep in mind that dogs, like coyotes, people, or other most other animals, will take the easiest route of travel, which will be the streets, sidewalks, alleys, etc. So the lures (scents) placed on garbage containers setting next to the curb along the edge of the street, or setting along the sidewalk or alley, would be better bets than those setting up by the house or up in the yard......... Now, in this situation of being this close to people's homes, and with the chances of seeing the feral dogs MUCH better at night, you may want to just skip trying predator calls at that time... While they may work for you, they will also most likely have every dog, within earshot, domestic dogs in particular, barking and setting up a howl, and this may well cause some people to get upset, and possibly even concerned,  particularly at night...which can lead to their calling the local authorities, which I am sure you would prefer to avoid.


Jim, I apologize that I am not able to offer you any more help or information than this, but, like I say, I have never purposely set out to catch or call feral dogs..... Good luck with it.

Mongo