ASHLAND, MASS. (WHDH) - An Ashland family suffered a devastating lost after their dog had a deadly encounter with a coyote in Ashland.
Thelma Chouinard was on her porch Wednesday morning, watching her 5-year-old dog Rusty run around.
According to the family, a coyote suddenly came out of the woods.
“He grabbed him, ran into the woods there,” Thelma said. “I heard him squealing all the way up and then all of a sudden quiet.”
Thelma yelled for her husband Philip, but by the time he came out, the dog was gone.
The 8 pound Shih-Tzu mix known for playing with deer and chasing bunnies was an 80th birthday present for Philip from the kids, and they quickly became inseparable.
“He even slept with us in bed at night,” Philip said. “Last night I couldn’t sleep.”
Police warned neighbors in Ashland there have been at least two attacks.
Galina Hillman’s Irish Wolfhound Patrick and Shepherd Meeka spotted two coyotes around dinnertime Wednesday.
“They both were on a leash but there was no way to hold them,” Hillman said. “They saw the coyotes and they escaped in the bushes.”
They both ran back, but Patrick’s tussle with the wild animals left him with a wound in his back leg.
Both families are hoping to alert other pet owners about the dangers lurking just beyond their yards.
Police said the best advice is for people to keep their dogs on leashes, and to call 911 if they see a coyote.
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