Coyote attacks in Halton

A Burlington neighbourhood is on heightened alert after a number of coyote attacks in recent weeks. And there are fears a child could be next.

An attack on a dog was caught on camera. And while the dog survives, the video is graphic, so we caution that it may not be suitable for some viewers.

However, the video does show us just how quickly a quiet backyard can turn into a life or death situation.

Last Thursday morning Jenn Reid walked by her kitchen security monitor and noticed a coyote was in her backyard, where her Spaniel Holly was tied up: “I was scared. I didn’t have time to think. I ran out the door and I just ran for my dog to try to make it stop. My kids followed me out the door and they were screaming and crying. The dog, as soon as the coyote let go of her, ran back toward my kids and the dog was crying and yelping and covered in blood.”

After emergency surgery, Holly is recovering from near-fatal wounds to her neck.

David Reid: “She had 3-4 puncture wounds in her neck and they said they were two inches deep, just from the shaking and thrashing.”

Holly is lucky her leash didn’t break. A few mornings later, Jenn was chilled to hear another dog in distress.

Jenn Reid: “I realized it was coming from outside. I opened up the door and I could hear a small dog crying, and then it just stopped. It was a nightmare.”

Maria Ordonez’s little dog had been dragged down to the creek: “We were calling her Mia, Mia, Mia, and a neighbour told us she heard a dog screaming. So my husband found Mia. But she was dead.”

Two weeks earlier, her children saw a coyote while waiting for the school bus. A stranger told them to get into her car. They couldn’t decide which was worse – facing a coyote, or getting in a stranger’s car: “They were desperate, they saw the coyote, and they go inside the car.”

Neighbours say they’ve seen coyotes in the middle of the street in this neighbourhood. They’ve seen them in the morning as they get ready for work and school. They’ve even seen them in the middle of the afternoon.

Burlington has been monitoring areas like Paletta Park for coyotes in the past six months, and it now has a place on its website to report coyote sightings.

Tracey Burrows, Burlington Animal Services: “Making sure we don’t have food left out and that people aren’t feeding the coyotes. That is the most prevalent problem that we’re facing.”

She says it’s rare for a coyote to attack a person, but anyone who feels threatened should call police.