DENVER -
A Wheat Ridge woman sends out a warning to others after a coyote nearly made a meal out of her mini pinscher.
It happened Friday about 7:30 a.m. in her backyard in the 11870 w. 35th avenue.
It's just blocks from the busy 5-lane Kipling st.
Michelle Fredricey is now accompanying her three mini-pins outside on her property. There's Lester, Freddy and Leonard.
"It's just too risky. I can't afford to lose one of my little guys," she says.
She almost lost Leonard to a coyote encounter.
"I looked out the window and he was down in the middle of the backyard with Leonard hanging from his mouth. He had him by his neck," she says.
Michelle and her husband screamed at the wild animal and it dropped the dog and ran off.
Leonard was bleeding from wounds to his head and neck.
"This particular dog we treated at wheat ridge animal hospital was very very lucky," says dr. elisa mazzaferro.
The vet says it's rare for a coyote to drop its prey--especially a small dog which is no match for the wild animal.
"Most common bite wounds we see inflicted on dogs and cats by coyotes are bite wounds around the neck where the coyote picks them up and then shakes them" says mazzaferro. she says it causes severe tissue damage and often breaks their neck.
"He's got a lot of bruising around his neck. i think we caught it just in time," says Fredricey.
It's almost like the dog has the nine lives of a cat.
And Michelle says she won't ever give a coyote a chance to turn Leonard into lunch.
Now, she wants neighbors to know about the coyotes and how Leonard cheated death.
"I just want them to beware they're roaming the neighborhood and to be very careful," she says.
Mazzaferro says people who live in areas where there are coyotes should never leave their animals alone. She says coyotes can easily jump fences and snatch a pet. She also suggests building a pen with a lid on it so wild animals can't get inside.
It happened Friday about 7:30 a.m. in her backyard in the 11870 w. 35th avenue.
It's just blocks from the busy 5-lane Kipling st.
Michelle Fredricey is now accompanying her three mini-pins outside on her property. There's Lester, Freddy and Leonard.
"It's just too risky. I can't afford to lose one of my little guys," she says.
She almost lost Leonard to a coyote encounter.
"I looked out the window and he was down in the middle of the backyard with Leonard hanging from his mouth. He had him by his neck," she says.
Michelle and her husband screamed at the wild animal and it dropped the dog and ran off.
Leonard was bleeding from wounds to his head and neck.
"This particular dog we treated at wheat ridge animal hospital was very very lucky," says dr. elisa mazzaferro.
The vet says it's rare for a coyote to drop its prey--especially a small dog which is no match for the wild animal.
"Most common bite wounds we see inflicted on dogs and cats by coyotes are bite wounds around the neck where the coyote picks them up and then shakes them" says mazzaferro. she says it causes severe tissue damage and often breaks their neck.
"He's got a lot of bruising around his neck. i think we caught it just in time," says Fredricey.
It's almost like the dog has the nine lives of a cat.
And Michelle says she won't ever give a coyote a chance to turn Leonard into lunch.
Now, she wants neighbors to know about the coyotes and how Leonard cheated death.
"I just want them to beware they're roaming the neighborhood and to be very careful," she says.
Mazzaferro says people who live in areas where there are coyotes should never leave their animals alone. She says coyotes can easily jump fences and snatch a pet. She also suggests building a pen with a lid on it so wild animals can't get inside.
