We often believe our furry friends are safe in their yards, but that’s not always the case, even if it’s fenced in. A family in Huntington Beach, California, almost lost one of their small dogs after a coyote scaled the fence looking for trouble. The coyote tried to pick up the pup and carry her away. But luckily, the family’s bigger dog refused to let that happen. He charged toward the wild animal and scared it.

Luckily, everyone survived the situation, but the family fears it’ll happen again. Coyote sightings are on the rise, so hopefully, this story raises awareness to keep more pets safe.

Coyote Targets Boston Terrier

The coyote incident was caught on a camera in Freddy and Melissa Patriarca’s backyard. The wild animal jumped over a six-foot fence to get into the family’s yard. Then, it ran straight toward their Boston Terrier named Sadie, who was outside unsupervised. The small dog screamed in terror. That’s when her humans knew something was wrong.

The coyote grabbed Sadie and tried to drag her with him, but she put up a fight. As Sadie struggled in the predator’s jaws, the coyote got spooked and ran off. As the coyote ran away, security footage showed a Labrador Retriever named Cody chasing the animal to save his sister. When his family watched the footage after, they couldn’t believe it!

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“My heart was breaking when I heard her scream,” Freddy said. “And just knowing that a wild animal like a coyote could just jump the wall so easily, and almost take our loved one away.”

After a few days, Sadie was put on antibiotics and felt like her normal self. She’s lucky her canine sibling was there to save her because not all dogs are as fortunate.

Lucky to Be Alive

Coyote sightings like this are becoming more common, so Melissa worries that there are not enough safety precautions in their community. The family has three dogs and five kids, and they’d be devastated if anything happened to them.

“Really this last year, they’ve been coming around where I’ll be driving my kids to school, and I’ll see a coyote walking and it’s right in front of the school,” said Melissa. “And that’s really scary.”

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Patrick Taylor, a handyman who lives near the family, said he isn’t surprised by the coyote attack. His business has been booming with people wanting coyote prevention methods, such as coyote rollers, heightened fences, and chicken wire.

The Patriarcas informed the city about the incident, but they haven’t heard back yet. They hope officials will consider taking more actions to keep the community safe.