Weird News Video #45 — Road Runner vs Coyote

Episode #45: “Howling Mad”, from True’s 12 April 2009 issue.

New to True? Randy’s email newsletter brings several bizarre-but-true stories right to your inbox every week: it’s Thought-Provoking Entertainment. Basic subscriptions are free: click here for a subscribe form.

You can comment on this video below.

For the 2021 video series see this page.

Howling Mad

A woman asked a construction worker to call police in Sarnia, Ont., Canada, after she spotted a coyote in a park while jogging. She said the animal “barked” at her, and feared it would chase her if she got any closer. Officers arrived to find the animal was still there — it was a cardboard cutout, which the city had installed to scare off Canada geese because they were pooping in the park. “You can’t put up any really fancy signs in the park because they usually disappear,” explained a city spokesman. (Canadian Press) …Actually, it was the construction worker who was barking.

– – –

Bad link? Broken image? Other problem on this page? Use the Help button lower right, and thanks.

This page is an example of my style of “Thought-Provoking Entertainment”. This is True is an email newsletter that uses “weird news” as a vehicle to explore the human condition in an entertaining way. If that sounds good, click here to open a subscribe form.

To really support This is True, you’re invited to sign up for a subscription to the much-expanded “Premium” edition:

One Year Upgrade
Comments

(More upgrade options here.)

Q: Why would I want to pay more than the minimum rate?

A: To support the publication to help it thrive and stay online: this kind of support means less future need for price increases (and smaller increases when they do happen), which enables more people to upgrade. This option was requested by existing Premium subscribers.

 

18 Comments on “Weird News Video #45 — Road Runner vs Coyote

  1. Makes me think of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. It’s a coyote… on a steeck.

    Dunham is great! So I’ll take that as a great compliment. 🙂 -rc

    Reply
  2. Becky’s voice-over at the end is a great touch. I’ve been a Looney Tunes fan for years, and I must confess, the first thing I think of when I see a reference to a coyote is Mr Self-Proclaimed “Genius”.

    Which, of course, applies to at least half the people I write about…. -rc

    Reply
  3. You’ll be up for an Academy Award as well as a Pulitzer!!!

    And since it’s a video, an Emmy too, I’d hope! Now that’s a hat-trick! -rc

    Reply
  4. Why didn’t they just order the signs from ACME Corporation?

    Good suggestion, since clearly anyone can afford their stuff! -rc

    Reply
  5. Hmmm… I’d love a chance to place a cardboard cutout of an Acme rocket on the back of one (or more) of the coyotes at the park. “Beep-beep.”

    Reply
  6. Hilarious! Randy, you never fail to entertain and make us think. I have to wonder how “frozen to the ground” this woman was to not realize the coyote was not three-dimensional; otherwise, wouldn’t she have seen the back or the post that was holding up CARDBOARD? lol People are soooo stupid.

    Reply
  7. bahahahahahahah can’t stop laughing hahahaha 😀

    Thanks a lot, this was one of your funniest videos Randy 🙂

    Reply
  8. Too funny, however what are Canadan geese? I have heard of CandIan geese but not Canadan as Randy said in the video 🙂

    What I quite clearly say is “Canada Geese”. There’s no such thing as “Canadian Geese” (unless you’ve confirmed citizenship by carefully inspecting their passports). The breed is Canada goose, as you can read for yourself. -rc

    Reply
  9. Yes, but, were any cardboard animals harmed? You could have PETCA after you.

    It was a good story, but I don’t think being on video made it any better. If you had found video of the original sign, to better humiliate the morong, that might have made video necessary. As it was, it was a relatively normal story. Any time the teller says “this is funny! This is really funny!”, it usually isn’t *that* funny…maybe too much buildup, I don’t know. Just my $.02. I think a more modest buildup would have made it better.

    *shrug* — I can only go by the comments before yours, and they’ve been quite positive. Different strokes for different folks. -rc

    Reply
  10. Re Kelly of San Diego:
    I agree that this kinda didn’t live up to the hype, but it’s undeniably a very funny story. If you (like me) are a Premium subscriber, then yes, the video isn’t a huge improvement over the text version; but you can point someone to this video who has never read TRUE before. (I don’t know what the deal is with free subscribers – when does the video come out compared to the free edition? If the video’s published after Free-True, then it comes to the same thing whether you’re paid or no, otherwise the free people get this as a precursor to the full column.)

    Of course, how funny something is depends a lot on your background. But Kelly’s right: too much buildup kills a “merely great” joke (merely?? When you look at the level of humour in what so often gets emailed around – or these days, shared via Facebook notes/groups – the odd “great” joke is a wonderful thing), because people are expecting something absolutely superb.

    The videos are usually posted late Sunday/early Monday, based on a story from the previous week’s column. If you subscribe to the notification e-mail, you’ll get that shortly after it’s posted. Premium subscribers then get the link that Monday night, and the free subscribers get the link the Friday after. -rc

    Reply
  11. A simple “COYOTE CROSSING….A?” sign would have sufficed, NO? Also, is that wild look in your eyes a result of CO’s new wacky weed law?!?!?!

    HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM…makes me think of EXIDOR on the “Mork & Mindy” tv show.

    Yeah, the look in my eyes in 2009 had something to do with the 2014 pot law — if YOU have been smoking! -rc

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Casey - Sacramento, CA Cancel reply