SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A 1-year-old pup is on the road to recovery after a terrifying run-in with coyotes.
It happened in Springfield last week.
The dog’s owner says they were doing their normal nightly routine. She let the pup out in the backyard, but soon after, she heard him being attacked.
“One of them must have grabbed him,” owner Taryn Urbanus said. “I just heard a loud screech and sprinted around the corner to try and scare them away and he was just whimpering.”
She rushed the dog to a nearby animal hospital.
“They took x-rays of him and said this was probably best case scenario, and that he’s a little fighter for going through this because they could’ve easily dragged him away,” Urbanus said.
Experts say as the cold weather sets in, coyotes will be out looking for food, so pet owners should be prepared.
“If people have outdoor cats or small dogs, don’t leave them outside, certainly not unattended and make your yard as uncomfortable as possible for wildlife,” said Hannah Orenstein of the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center. “If you have trash, lock it up, don’t leave food outside, cut your hedges back.”
The owner says from now on, she’ll be on high alert when she brings her dog outside and is urging her neighbors to do the same.
“I’m going to keep him on the leash, make sure all the lights are on when we go outside, and make sure I am within three feet of him with that leash,” Urbanus said.
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