Coyote Attacks, Kills Burlington Resident's Dog: Reports

BURLINGTON, MA — A resident said that her dog was attacked and killed by a coyote at her Burlington home, according to NBC Boston.

Laura Messing said her dog Dougal was playing under the deck July 5 when her husband went inside for a minute. He then heard an awful noise from the deck, ran outside, jumped the fence, and chased the coyote, according to NBC Boston.

They searched for Dougal for hours with no luck. They only found dog the next day.

Messing said a neighbor lost their dog the same way earlier this year.

She said in an interview with Burlington Cable Access Television that they told Animal Control about the incident who referred them to Massachusetts Environmental Police.

Messing said that they made a report but the department said nothing could really be done unless a child or a person was threatened.

Read more at NBC Boston.

Watch the interview with Burlington Cable Access Television.

Related: Coyote Family Spotted Strolling Through Melrose

Coyote Mating Season In MA Likely To Increase Conflicts

Coyote populations in Massachusetts are spread out and wide-ranging. They can be just as populous in big cities like Boston as they are in rural areas such as Amherst.

Violent coyote-human encounters are extremely rare, but any resident concerned about a coyote's behavior should contact MassWildlife.