Police in Massachusetts are warning pet owners to be cautious after at least three dogs were killed in recent coyote attacks.
Cilla and Paul Reising of Sudbury are devastated after losing their 10-year-old dog, Scamp, to a coyote.
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"There were two of them," Paul Reising said. "Picked him up and carried him into the woods."
"I felt very helpless," said Cilla Reising.
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She says it happened right in their own backyard while she was sitting out on her deck. She says the two coyotes came out of nowhere.
"I almost froze, I think, cause I didn't know what to do," she said. "It was so quick that I didn't really have a chance to react."
It happened around 8:30 p.m. more than a week ago on Cedar Creek Road. Even with the lights on, she says it wasn't enough to scare them away.
"She was screaming, I was inside," Paul Reising said.
He ended up finding the dog alive, but in the end, Scamp didn't make it.
"He was very important," Cilla Reising said. "He just was one of the family."
Authorities say it's not the only coyote attack that's happened recently, with others being reported in neighboring towns.
In one case on Border Road in Concord, a resident reported their dog missing. While police says that dog's body was never found, they believe a coyote killed it after wandering onto the family's property.
"We've been having reports of coyotes around," said Concord Police Lt. Kevin Monahan. "You hear them in the area all the time."
If a coyote approaches you, authorities say you should make loud noises and not be intimidated. Pet owners are urged to keep their dogs on leashes at all times.
