Dog killed in possible coyote attack in Wheaton

A small dog was killed in Wheaton, possibly by a coyote, police announced Monday.

The dog was attacked during the early evening Friday on the 100 block of South Gables while it was in its owner's yard for less than 20 minutes, officials said. The owner went out to check on the dog and found its body in a neighbor's yard.

Authorities said no one witnessed the attack, but a coyote was seen in the area shortly after police arrived. It is possible a coyote was responsible for the attack, they said.

The fatal attack came days after Wheaton adopted a policy focused on raising public awareness and strictly enforcing a feeding ban to deal with continuing concerns over coyotes in the community.

While there have been numerous coyote sightings in residential neighborhoods and a January attack on a small dog, officials stressed there haven't been any reported incidents of aggressive coyote behavior toward humans.

Police said in a statement that small pets and children are vulnerable to wild animals and should be monitored when outside.

Anyone wanting to review the city's coyote policy can do so by visiting wheaton.il.us.

Meanwhile, police are asking anyone witnessing a wild animal behaving aggressively to call 911. Officers will respond to aggressive wild animal behavior, they said.