A woman in Largo, Florida, has described how she wrestled with a coyote in her front yard before the animal ran off with her three-pound Yorkshire terrier.
Katrina Hoston had been taking Tyson outside on his lead on Saturday morning when the dog went towards a familiar spot beside a parked car in the driveway.
Hoston said a coyote had been hiding beneath the vehicle and suddenly lunged at Tyson. She grabbed the lead and tried to pull him free.
“When I got down and looked closer, I was like, ‘Oh, shoot, this is a coyote,’” she said.
She said the pair became locked in a struggle as she attempted to drag Tyson away from the animal.
“We were playing tug of war. I’m pulling my dog, trying to get him. He is pulling the dog,” Hoston said. “I thought, maybe, using my weight, I can pull him and, you know, pull the leash, but somehow I fell, and then that’s when I lost control of it.”
Coyote attack prompts search for missing dog
Despite her efforts, Hoston said the coyote escaped with Tyson. She has since searched the surrounding area but has not found him.
The incident has been reported to Pinellas County Animal Services.
Hoston said coyotes are regularly seen by residents in the Largo neighbourhood. She had also encountered one while walking Tyson several months ago, but managed to get indoors safely.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises residents to keep small dogs on short leads, particularly around dawn, dusk and at night, and to secure potential food sources such as pet food and rubbish.
Hoston is urging other pet owners to supervise their animals closely and, where possible, take them out during daylight hours.
