Coyote attacks on dogs leave Belvedere residents on guard

Deva Putney had just put her French bulldog, Dot, out in the yard when she heard it scream. The Bella Vista Avenue resident ran out along with her male bulldog in time to see a coyote disappearing into the brush.

Dot got off lightly, with only a few scratches to her side. A neighbor’s dog was not so lucky. On Feb 15, Afsaneh Zolfaghari’s dog was attacked by an unknown animal outside her home on Toyon Avenue, suffering punctures, deep bruises, a yanked-out canine tooth and multiple lacerations requiring stitches, she said. The dog is recovering.

The recent attacks reminded Belvedere residents that coyotes live in their midst and while generally harmless to humans, they can be dangerous to small pets.

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