WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Just before it got dark last Sunday night, Anne Fox let her three Pomeranians out into the fenced-in pool area of her backyard on Rachael Terrace in Westfield.
A coyote approached from the woods and snatched one of her dogs, Trixie, pulling her through the fence and dragging her into a ravine. Anne Fox said it happened so fast.
She and her family went looking for Trixie and eventually discovered her remains. The family is having her cremated.
A neighbor told 22News she’s shaken up.
“I’ve got a small Bichon,” Jillian Knapp said. “To imagine her walk outside to go pee and watching her get mauled by a coyote is frightening to think about. “It’s been a shock for the whole neighborhood. I am more concerned about kids. We have a lot of little kids in our neighborhood.”
Knapp told 22News she’s heard coyotes howling in the neighborhood before, but she’s never seen one. She says they have seen bobcats and bears.
It’s a good idea to keep all dog food inside and only go outside with your pets when they’re on a leash.