A coyote has been terrorizing two East Bay neighborhoods, killing at least four dogs and injuring several others in people’s backyards in the past month.
One of the attacks happened last week in Danville when a coyote leaped a six-foot high fence of a home and went after two dogs who lived there. Though the dogs survived, other pets were not so fortunate.
Nine-year-old Lucy is recovering from surgery after a coyote attacked her in her own Alamo backyard on July 6. Kent Molinaro says he was in shock when he looked out the window and saw his Jack Russell Terrier.
"I see a coyote with Lucy in his mouth," Molinaro said.
The attacked occurred just weeks after the family woke up to find their other dog was gone.
"A neighbor found him dead and suspected it was a coyote," Molinaro said. "We want to spare people from losing their small dogs, we don't want anyone else to go through this."
Wildlife, including turkeys and coyotes are common in the East Bay Foothills. A coyote was caught on camera near the Molinaros home before the attacks but they say the one that attacked Lucy was much larger and darker than the scrawny coyotes they usually see.
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So far, four dogs have been killed and at least three others attacked.
The incidents have not only occurred in Alamo, few miles away in Danville, a large coyote leaped over a six foot high fence.
"All of a sudden he made a funny bark and I saw one of the two dogs being carried to the back fence of the yard," said Danville resident Dave Bruce.
As the dog was being attacked, another pet nipped at the coyote until he dropped him.
"It’s completely changed how we operate," said Pam Tondreau from Danville. "Now we have to walk outside with them very time they go outside. End of age of innocence."