Coyotes attack two small dogs in Wheaton

One small dog is recovering from his injuries and another is missing after being attacked Thursday by a pack of coyotes in Wheaton.

The dogs’ owner said Jake, a 12-year-old silky terrier, and Floyd, a 15-month-old Yorkshire terrier, were surrounded by between four and six coyotes Thursday night in the backyard of their home on Mohican Drive, near Herrick Lake in the Arrowhead Estates neighborhood.

Jake survived the attack but suffered severe puncture wounds, Sue Reid said. Floyd has not been found and Reid said she’s holding out hope he escaped and will be found soon.

“We’ve seen coyotes in the neighborhood before so I always turn the light on and go out to make some noise before I let them (the dogs) out, just to make sure there is nothing out there,” Reid said. “But last night I was on the phone so I was standing just inside the door waiting for them when I heard the dogs bark.”

Reid said the coyotes surrounded Jake and bit him several times before fleeing when she ran screaming toward the pack. She scooped up Jake but saw no sign of Floyd.

“I did not see any of them with Floyd so I hope he got out of there,” Reid said. “We scoured every yard, every bush and every street last night, though, and found no sign of Floyd.”

Jake, she said, received several staples and is on medication for his wounds. His veterinarian expects him to make a full recovery.

“He’s definitely not himself, today, though. He won’t eat and won’t go outside,” she said. “He’s so out of it today.”

As for Floyd, he was not wearing his collar with his tags. Reid said she took it off so he could wear his electric fence collar. Wearing both collars, she said, was too heavy for the small dog.

Despite the lack of tags, Reid said she hopes someone finds Floyd, gets him the help he may need and turns him in.

“These dogs are like children to me. They’re part of our daily life,” she said. “It was so hard to wake up this morning and not have Floyd chewing on my toes and following me around the house. We’re so sad.”

Just two years ago, Wheaton enacted a policy that recommended the hiring of a trapper to track coyotes and to fine anyone who might be feeding the animals. Any Wheaton residents convicted of violating the town’s feeding law could be fined $100 to $950 per occurrence.

The city also launched a campaign to educate the public about dealing with coyotes that includes brochures, cable television programs, postcards and signs near parks.