Police: North Aurora dog grabbed by coyotes likely dead

A small North Aurora dog that was attacked and snatched by coyotes over the weekend has not been recovered and is presumed dead, police said Tuesday.

“I think given the length of time, it’s probably not a good sign,” Deputy Police Chief Scott Buziecki said.

According to police, two coyotes were involved in the attack, which took place early Sunday morning in a backyard on the 2800 block of Sterkel Road.

The dog was a 5-year-old Yorkshire terrier that weighed 11 pounds, police said.

The owner had been watching the dog from the back door about 2:30 a.m. when the coyotes emerged from the tall grass around a pond in the yard, grabbed the dog and took it back into the weeds.

Neighbors reported hearing coyotes howling and hearing the attack.

Buziecki said the owner was aware of previous coyote sightings, and that the dog was not on a leash.

“They thought they were doing the safe thing by watching (the dog),” Buziecki said.

Buziecki said there was another coyote incident Saturday night at Tanner Trails Park.

According to police, a man was walking his small dog on a leash when he encountered two coyotes on the baseball field near the park at Bauer Road and Schrader Lane.

While the coyotes didn’t attack, they also didn’t run away.

Police remind people not to run away from coyotes, to keep dogs on leashes and to stay close to them on daily walks, since coyotes are usually afraid of humans.

“Had the owner been right there next to his dog, maybe (the coyotes) wouldn’t have taken the risk to grab the dog,” Buziecki said.