Add wrestling a coyote to the list of things residents have done to save their pets.
A suburban Chicago man was taking his garbage out when he said he heard “ferocious sounds” over his shoulder and realized his 8-year-old Wheaten Terrier, Bailey, had followed him outside and was about to fight a coyote.
"I hear this fearsome roaring going on and there was Bailey standing toe to toe with this coyote," said Bob, who wishes to remain anonymous for privacy concerns.
Bob attempted to intervene, kicking and nudging the coyote away, but Bailey kept returning to fight the animal.
Not knowing what else to do, Bob grabbed the coyote by the scruff and lower back, spun around and threw it about 15 feet away into a snow bank.
"I grabbed the coyote here and here, by the scruff and the back, and gave him one of these Olympic tosses," he said. "Then he went head over tail into the snow drift...I didn't even think about it at the time."
Bob was then able to get his dog inside before he began a "stare down" with the animal that ended when he made a loud noise, scaring the coyote away.
"He immediately got up gave me a look, he looked confused," Bob said. "He had enough, I had had enough, it was time to have the bell ring for the round."
Bailey suffered two small bites in the fight, but is up to date on his rabies shots and will be OK, Bob said.
U.S. & World
Earlier, in November, a Chicago boy was bit in the face by a coyote in the city’s Austin neighborhood.
Four coyotes were trapped and euthanized in a nearby park shortly afterward.
The stomach contents of the euthanized coyotes showed human food, including a pork chop and bologna. Experts say that's evidence they're adapting to a more populated environment, and relying more on gathering food and being fed instead of their natural hunting skills.
Some residents want all coyotes removed, but experts say the residents need to do a better job of coexisting with the animals.
Cook County Animal Care administrator Donna Alexander says it's important to not leave food out, and to not interact with the animals so they'll have to rely on their natural food sources -- small rodents, deer, geese, birds and fruit.
"They're coyotes ... stamp your feet, be angry, yell at them. Keep being humans," Alexander said.
Bob said he has been extra cautious since the incident, even bringing a machete with him to get the mail.
"Hopefully there's not a next round, hopefully there's not," he said.
This story was first reported by Beacon News reporter Denise Crosby.
