Coyote attacks dog near Roselle

Lucy didn't see it coming.

The 7-year-old miniature pinscher had been in the front yard for only a few minutes Thursday afternoon when the coyote attacked.

Inside the house Jennifer Kilbridge, wrestled with an overflowing washing machine. Her dog's yelps failed to reach her ears.

But the blood curdling screams of Kilbridge's daughter, Laurel, did not.

"She ran out (of the house) screaming," Kilbridge said.

Outside, a coyote had snatched the 13-pound pooch off the ground and bit through its skin and muscles.

Lucy suffered seven puncture wounds from Thursday's feral encounter in unincorporated Keeneyville near Roselle. But the tail-wager lived, thanks to Laurel's screams and frantic approach.

"The coyote immediately dropped Lucy," Kilbridge said.

Kilbridge, who has lived in Keeneyville for almost 10 years, said she believes that coyotes have an increasing presence in the area.

"I know they've become more prevalent out here," she said Friday. "When there are police sirens we hear them howling."

Animal control officials in DuPage County say they receive anywhere from one to three reports a year of coyotes attacking dogs. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has never received a report of a coyote attacking a human in the state.

"They (coyotes) are everywhere," said Jennifer Berg, senior warden with DuPage County Animal Control. "But they usually are scared off by humans."

Wildlife experts say coyotes may seem more plentiful, but their numbers haven't increased. It's their proximity to man that is becoming more prevalent.

Berg said coyotes are attracted by an abundance of food outside suburban residences. Sealing garbage and keeping the outdoor grill clean can help to keep them away. Also, feeding animals - pets or wild - outdoors can attract them.

"Even if people feed birds, the scattered seeds on the ground attract small rodents which attract coyotes," Berg said.

Coyotes are most active near dawn and dusk.

Making sure that a pet is always watched over when outdoors is probably the best way to avoid an attack. But if an attack happens, Berg said, "Be big and make loud noises."

Luckily for Lucy, that's exactly what happen.

After two trips the veterinarian, the Keeneyville pooch appears to be making a good recovery.

Dosed with antibiotics and a penicillin shot, the canine spent today taking naps in her doggy bed.

Though the dog was outside, Kilbridge didn't leave her unprotected. She knows that predators lurk out there.