Newton Neighborhood On Edge After Coyote Attacks
NEWTON (CBS) - Residents in a West Newton neighborhood are growing increasingly concerned about coyote sightings, even attacks, after a small dog was killed. Owners of the Yorkshire Terrier say they let the dog out the morning of October fourth to run in the yard and heard the yelps.
"After what I had seen it was so traumatic," said Deb Toyias. She witnessed the coyote walk across the lawn and scoop up her dog, Cody, in its mouth. "I started yelling, 'a coyote has got the dog, a coyote has got the dog'," she said.
Her husband Peter bolted up the street after the animal, but it was too late. "I was yelling the whole time. At that point it stopped and turned around and dropped my dog. Then it slowly trot away all the while looking at me," said Peter Toyias.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports
It was an encounter that seems to be repeating itself in the neighborhood. Enough that a sign was posted warning pet owners about predators. Resident Paul Jarosik is also erecting a fence to cover an open section of his yard after his cat was killed by what he believes was a coyote.
"There was very little left. It was definitely a vicious attack," he said. The neighborhood has been notifying police about missing animals and coyote sightings, like the one Justine Neeson saw with her dog on a recent walk.
"He stopped and look at me and I moved. Then he went back into the woods," she said. The Toyias family has seen coyotes prowling the neighborhood for several years, convinced they are now more aggressive, and concerned what could happen next.
"They're not staying on the perimeter, they're coming to our stairs, and to our front step," said Deb Toyias. City officials say coyotes are protected and there's very little they can do.
But they have set up a meeting with residents next week calling in the Fish and Game Department, to see if there's a solution.
