Sophie, the Maremma puppy, looking particularly sleepy

Last night was the first rowdy coyote night we've had. It started around dusk with a couple coyotes howling. The dogs went nuts, obviously, running to the perimeter of the farm where the noise came from. With rainfall down dramatically this year water's getting hard to come by. We still have a little bit of water in our old ponds, but not a lot. Something's better than nothing, however, and I suspect that's what the coyotes are after. We do have baby goats around too, so I'm sure the coyotes aren't missing out on that either, but there's plenty of wildlife around that would be much easier prey than our goats. The goats are inside two fences, one is electric, and they have three dogs protecting them. Previously when we've seen coyotes on the property they headed straight for the north pond and then left (or were chased out). 

We figured last night that it would just be a couple howls, the coyotes would be pissed that they couldn't get to the ponds and then it would be over. Nope. The howling continued on and off all night, driving Sheba and Sophie berserk. Right now we're keeping Izzi inside the electric goat fence and letting Sheba and Sophie patrol inside the perimeter fence. With Izzi inside the electric fence the goats are guaranteed to have some protection and it helps Izzi bond with our goats. Sophie and Sheba protect the remainder of the farm (guineas, pigs, cows, etc).