A Mystery Animal

The burgundy lilac is starting to bloom.  I couldn't resist getting a photo before it had properly opened.  Of the three lilac trees here, this has the most striking coloured blossoms.

My hexagons edged in white.  This project is moving at a snail's pace, mostly because I spend the best light of the day with the cross stitch project.  Crocheting gets relegated to my t.v. night time and is a much shorter time frame and sometimes, if my eyes are tired, not at all.

If I'm eating out, I like to have things I don't usually make at home.  I look at it as a real treat.
One of my favourite lunches to have out and about is this.  Toasted multigrain bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  I like capers too but this did not come with them.  This is also my favourite hotel breakfast and I've found kitchens will make this even when it is not on the menu.

 And a mystery animal for you today. 

 Littler grandson and I were playing outside under the deck one day.  They have a sand area set up for him there.  An animal walked along the side of the house, past us and proceeded down the length of the garden, jumped the little creek and paused on the other side.  He looked back just as if he was staring at us.
My heart was in my mouth.  It had passed within three feet of us!   But at that point it was unaware of us I'm sure, tucked away as we were under the deck.  It ran like a fox to me and its tail was bushy with a dark tip. I thought definitely a fox tail.  My immediate thought was fox...but a funny colour for a fox...dark grey.  Was there such a thing.
A couple of days later I spied the same animal from the living room window.  I grabbed my camera and went out on the deck and managed to capture a few bad photos before it moved away.  Haven't seen it since.

So what is it?  I looked it up that night and from what I read, thought it the rarish grey fox but son-in-law thinks it is a coywolf the new hybrid animal, part coyote and part wolf.
 What do you think it is??