A San Jose woman says her dog was viciously attacked by a coyote in her backyard.
The attack happened in over the weekend in a neighborhood just north of Valley Medical Center. It is a neighborhood the owner did not think coyotes would visit.
The 10-year-old Chihuahua named "Boy" is recovering and on Monday was clearly in a lot of pain.
"Boy means the whole world to me. He's like my baby," owner Lupe said. "He goes everywhere with me."
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Lupe, who did not want to provide her last name, said the attack happened around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when Boy needed to go to the bathroom. She said she started to hear him barking form the backyard and that is when Lupe spotted three coyotes in her backyard.
Two were scared off by the dog's bark, but the third was not.
"The coyote followed him and demolished him really bad," Lupe said.
Lupe said she ultimately scared the animal off by throwing a rock at it, but not before a lot of damage was done.
Boy spent two days in the hospital getting surgery and a lot of stitches.
Lupe said she called us because she never would have thought she would see coyotes in her neighborhood.
State wildlife officials say while they have not received any reports of coyotes sightings in the area, the animals are showing up just about everywhere.
"There's coyotes in pretty much every inch of California," California Department of Fish and Wildlife public information officer Krysten Kellum said. "Even in populated areas."
They say coyotes are typically out between dusk and dawn, and urge owners to keep their pets inside as much as possible during those times. Wildlife officials also said to avoid leaving any pet food outside.
"If you see a coyote make noise, get big, scare them off, teach them that they don't want to be around humans," Kellum said.
Residents can also report any coyote sightings on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
Meanwhile, Lupe continues to try to nurse her four-legged family member back to health and hopes the incident will remind others to stay closer to their pets when letting them outdoors.
"Be careful," she said. "That's all I'm asking - to be careful."
