Dog dies after coyote attack in Gresham

GRESHAM, Ore. – A Gresham woman who witnessed a coyote attack her neighbor’s dog said she wants to warn others so it doesn’t happen again.

Valerie Walker said she’s now worried about her own pets after seeing the coyote attack her neighbor’s Lhasa Apso named “Little Man.”

“I can’t really sleep at night now, the last couple nights have just been horrific. I just keep replaying those images,” said Walker.

Walker said she sensed something was wrong when she saw four eyes staring back at her from her bedroom window. She went outside and screamed at the coyote, hoping it would drop Little Man.

“Walking and clapping my hands and screaming at him wasn’t working, he was just picking him up and moving him,” Walker said.

Experts say coyotes typically carry small animals away and there are packs of them all over the area, especially in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham. To limit your chances of running into one, experts suggest feeding your animals indoors and not leaving them unattended when they’re outside.

If you see a coyote, experts say you should make it feel uncomfortable by shouting, making noise and throwing something like a stick in its direction.

Walker got in her car and sounded her horn until the coyote dropped Little Man. She said she rushed him to the animal hospital and got in touch with his owner, but they all learned it was too late to save him.

“She decided to have him euthanized because it was going to be in excess of $10,000 in surgeries and he had so many puncture wounds to his lungs and throat. It was the right thing for her to do,” said Walker.