A Lakewood woman said her neighbors should be on alert after witnessing a coyote maul her family's dog Monday.
"My dog was attacked and killed last night on Clifton. I'm not sure if it was a coyote or a fox, but it was some sort of wild dog," Helen Brand told a 911 dispatcher.
Brand told News 5 she had to have Rocco, her 13-year-old dachshund, euthanized following the attack. She told a dispatcher the coyote had "ripped open" her dog.
Authorities believe the animal in question was an aggressive female coyote that may have been in search of food.
Brand said she started screaming at the animal and chasing it until the animal dropped her dog. She last saw the animal running on Whippoorwill toward Lake.
“I went through a lot in my life, but he was always there for me," Brand said. “And I hope that my sad situation is going to save other dogs.”
Lakewood Police Captain Gary Stone said officers are aware of a den of coyotes located near the western section of Edgewater Park and that the same coyote is responsible for two other small dog deaths.
He said neighbors need to keep their pets near them and on leashes at all times, but if one gets close, “Make noise. Clap your hands together. Whistle and that should scare the animal away," Capt. Stone said.
