Grisly Coyote Attack Kills Woman's Dog

DETROIT (WWJ)- A dog in the Clinton Township area was the victim of a deadly coyote attack this past week.

A pack of coyotes are reportedly to blame in an attack that killed Julie Wickwares' Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Duffy. Wickwares let her dog out at six in the morning last week and a few minutes later saw her dogs bloodied body.

"Within ten minutes I went out to see where he was and I found him in the backyard," Wickwares said. "I saw the coyote about 20 feet away."

She rushed her dog to the veterinarian, but Duffy died of a broken neck.

Wickware says her daughter is devastated and her grandchildren are scared as well.

"My 5 year-old grandson won't even go outside without two adults next to him," Wickware said. "He's afraid they're gonna get him."

Wickware is warning her neighbors to keep an eye on their pets and not leave them outside alone.

Another persons cat in the area is missing as well. Coyotes see cats as prey, but the experts say they don't usually attack dogs unless it's an offensive attack.

The Department of Natural Resources says coyotes are known to fear people. According to the DNR's website, the coyote population is on the rise.

Coyotes are also in the middle of breeding season which runs now through March.

For more information about coyotes and how to prevent attacks, visit www.michigan.gov/dnr