Fearless coyote snatches dog from woman

TAVARES, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A coyote showing no fear walked right up to a woman and her dogs, snatching one of her precious pups.

The days of coyotes being scared of people could be ending.  When Sandy Terry was leaving work Thursday night, at A Forever Home Animal Rescue in Tavares with her two dogs, her nightmare became her reality.

“I didn't have them on a leash so that will never happen again...Scruffy was still on the pavement. He wasn't even in the grassy area, and I heard this blood-curdling scream,” said Terry.

Her small terrier mix, Scruffy, was snatched by a coyote in the orange groves nearby. Sandy was only a few feet away and heard and saw it all happen.

“Just that fast, it happens.”

She put her other dog, Tina, in the car and called Animal Control. She spent hours looking for Scruffy, until Tavares Police came out to stop her, for her own safety.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildllife Convseration Commission, encounters between coyotes and people are happening more often, and at nighttime coyotes on cats and dogs.

Sandy Terry knows she’ll never get Scruffy back but at least she has Tina and wants to remind others to be safe and smart with their pets.

“What you think is your normal routine is okay and this was my normal routine and my dog died because of it.”

If you come across a coyote, FWC says loud noises and acting aggressively should scare them off. If you’re out walking your dog, keep it on a tight leash and don’t let cats roam free in your yard.