Coyotes Attack Another Dog In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, OH — A small white terrier was attacked by a coyote on Sunday. The pet suffered two cuts on its neck. The dog's owner took it to a pet hospital and the animal is doing OK, Lakewood Police told Patch.

The attack occurred on 15400 block of Edgewater Drive. The attack occurred at 11 p.m.

A police spokesperson said the dog's owner left his house and went into his yard. The white terrier followed its owner outside, initially unbeknownst to the resident. The resident then went back into his house.

Before long he heard loud yelping from outside and he ran into his yard. He saw his dog about a yard from the house and a coyote running away.

This is the most recent in a series of attacks on pets in the city by coyotes. In mid-October a resident's Highland Terrier was found dead near Forest Hill Drive, the victim of a coyote attack.

A Lakewood resident's dog was attacked by a coyote in late February 2017, prompting panic over animal safety in the neighborhood. Many residents on social media have expressed surprise at the presence of coyotes in a heavily developed suburb like Lakewood.

The attack in February took place in the vicinity of Lakewood Park, in a fenced-in backyard. During that incident, a West Highland white Terrier was chased and bitten by coyotes before its owner ran out and scared the coyotes away.

The city said in March that there are at least three pairs of alpha coyotes in Lakewood. One pair lives in the vicinity of Madison Park, another in the southwest corner of the city and a third alpha pair in the Lakewood Park area, the city said at the time.

"Three other small-dog attacks have occurred in [the Lakewood Park] area. These attacks started in late January. The dogs were all small breed dogs; each survived with bite injuries," Kara A. Vlach-Lasher of Lakewood's Animal Safety & Welfare Advisory Boardr said in March. "These recent encounters are the exception, not the rule from Lakewood's experience."

Protection and Prevention

Coyotes very rarely attack humans, Vlach-Lasher said. In fact, the city's Animal Shelter Supervisor says that there has never been an attack on a human by a coyote in the Lakewood area.

However, attacks on small breed dogs are common. Coyote activity is also greatly increased from January through March because it is mating season for the animals. Dog owners should pay careful attention to their animals during the first quarter of the year.

To prevent attracting coyotes to your residence, here are some simple tips from the city you can follow.

• Don't feed your pets outside. The smell of the food may attract coyotes. Set up your animal's feeding area inside your house, if possible.
• If you're composting (and hopefully you are), don't compost meat, dairy, or fish scraps. Whatever you are composting, do so in an enclosed bin. The city says you should periodically clean whatever bin you're using to compost. Also, keep your garbage can lids closed.
• Keep your cats indoors and keep your dogs on leashes when outdoors. Even if you have a fenced in yard, you'll want to keep an eye on your dog, particularly from dusk to dawn. To keep coyotes out, your fence would have to be at least eight feet tall and made of a material that coyotes cannot climb.
• Carry a whistle when walking your dog. If your pet is attacked by a coyote, blow the whistle for help. You can also throw a tennis ball at the animal or squirt a water gun full of vinegar at a coyote to repel it.
• If the coyote attacks while you're at home, use your garden hose to spray the animal or bang pots or pans to create a loud noise.

To get other insight and tips for fending off coyote attacks, If you or your pet has an encounter with a coyote, please report it to Lakewood Animal Control at 216-529-5020. An encounter would be anything more than a sighting or visual observation.

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