Coyote spoted in Summerside

SUMMERSIDE - They say it's bad luck to cross paths with a black cat, but is there any superstition about coyotes?
One Summerside woman wasn't eager to stick around and find out Wednesday morning, after sighting what she believes to be one of the wild dogs in the city's west end.
Blanche March was on her way to work at Eva's Restaurant at around 6:15 a.m. when she saw what she believed was a coyote on the street ahead of her.
"It was on the corner of Duke and North Market Street, and I saw it saunter across the street. It was creepy looking," March said. "It sat behind a house watching me and I could see these white eyes glowing. I didn't turn around to see if it followed me."
March described the animal as "rugged-looking" with matted dark brown fur, long skinny legs and a short snout.
Randy Dibblee, a wildlife biologist with the department of forests, fish and wildlife, was hesitant to comment on what the animal might be, based on an anecdotal description, but said coyote sightings in more populous areas are rare.
"Coyotes have been seen by people in the countryside and occasionally in suburban areas, but it's not usual to have them wandering around the city," he said. "There wouldn't be any danger normally speaking, because coyotes won't approach people. We want to keep them with a normal, healthy fear of humans. In other words, we don't want coyotes to become like some of the foxes we have on the Island now."
Dibblee said the public's alert level has been high since a 19-year-old woman was attacked and killed by two coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in October.
He says the coyotes in that case were more accustomed to people because of their proximity to the national park, but P.E.I.'s coyote population remains quite wild and fearful of humans.
Regardless of whether what March saw was a coyote or not, she wanted to let city residents know there may be something lurking around.
Dibblee encouraged anyone who thinks they see a coyote to report it to his department, and advised all Island residents to keep house cats and small dogs indoors at night.