A couple living near Judique, N.S. say a vicious coyote attack near their home this weekend claimed the life of a beloved family pet.
Dave Chapman’s 13-year-old yellow lab Riley was in the woods Saturday night. When Dave heard growling and barking, he knew it was trouble.
“Picked up a machete that I had near the door and a light and I came out and he was right in there, I could see him in the woods there and I could see the big mark on his side already,” says Dave.
Riley had been viciously attacked by a coyote, leaving ripped skin and puncture wounds on his neck and legs.
Despite the efforts of the veterinarian, Riley died Sunday evening.
Dave and his wife Camille had heard a coyote the night before, very close to their home and had tried to scare it away.
“I took three dog whistles, different varieties, and whistled at them and it, there was only one, and tried to scare it away and it just kept howling,” says Camille.
In the 20 years the couple has been living in their cabin in the woods, they say they have never had problems with coyotes.
“We’ve heard them in the distance, but we’ve never had them this close, ever, and to have it two nights in a row like that, it was pretty scary,” says Camille.
The couple says they want to make people aware of the attack, especially since a section of the Trans Canada Trail is barely a hundred metres from their home.
“He’s that close to the trail and the way he’s acting, I think he could easily attack a small person,” says Dave.
A spokesperson with the Natural Resources Department says they will be investigating the incident to see if they can determine what led to the attack. In the meantime, they are asking anyone in the area who may hear or see any signs of a coyote to report it.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh.
