Coyotes attack dog in Carol Stream

It wasn't uncommon for Loree Turano to see coyotes walking through her neighborhood.

She often heard stories from friends and neighbors about the prevalence of the critters roaming her streets.

But the Carol Stream woman was dumbstruck this morning to learn her 13-pound shih tsu, Bella, was attacked by a pair of coyotes outside her home.

Bella survived thanks to some quick thinking by family members who scared off the wild animals, but the attack left the dog with scars on the right side of its body.

"At first I thought they were other dogs," Turano said. "They weren't real big … but they went for the kill."

Bella became just one of several dogs attacked or killed by coyotes in the past month in the suburbs.

On Thursday, Lisle police received a call from a resident on the 800 block of Division Street after a coyote snatched the family's dachshund from the backyard.

Last week, a 3-year-old miniature pinscher named Minnie was killed in unincorporated McHenry County when two coyotes snatched the small dog from its yard.

The attacks are not surprising to wildlife experts.

Last year, 542 coyotes were removed throughout Illinois by licensed trappers. Of that number, 295 were from the Chicago area, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Chris McCloud, a spokesman for the state agency, said coyotes tend to be more aggressive and territorial toward other animals during the breeding season in January and February.

Since coyotes are considered wildlife, most area police departments will do little more than take a report about coyote attacks on pets.

That's little consolation for Turano.

"I thought this was something that happened in the wild," she said, "not in my backyard."