Family Dog Killed By Wild Animal In Morris During Bathroom Break

RANDOLPH, NJ — What was supposed to be a quick, middle of the night bathroom break for a family dog ended in tragedy when the four-year-old pup was attacked and killed by a wild animal in Randolph early Tuesday morning.

It was just like any other night, owner Seth Elgart said in an interview with Patch. The family let Zoey, their small Havanese dog, out their front door for a bathroom break at 2 a.m. alongside Austin, their older, partially deaf dog. Elgart said they rarely let the dogs out that late at night, but it wasn't unusual for the family to let the dogs go just outside the front door.

Austin didn't notice anything, and came right back inside, Elgart said. Zoey, however, spotted a wild animal.

"She saw something and barked at it like she would a squirrel or chipmunk and went to chase it," Elgart said, "And it grabbed her neck and took off across the street into the woods behind adjacent neighbors yards." It happened less than ten feet from the Elgart's front door.

"Within seconds of contact she was carried into the woods at high speed by the animals mouth, screaming and crying for her life. Horrifying beyond explanation," Elgart wrote in a post about the attack shared to several local Facebook groups. The family called Randolph police, but by the time police arrived ten minutes later there was nothing they could do.

Randolph Animal Control came to the woods near the Leigh Court home the next morning to retrieve Zoey's body. Animal Control officer Erika Barkman confirmed that Zoey was killed, but was unable to immediately provide more information Thursday morning. It wasn't clear what type of animal attacked Zoey, but Elgart said it was likely a coyote.

Randolph Detective Lieutenant Chris Giuliani said there was no reason to believe the animal was rabid, saying, "It appears the animal was out hunting, and a small dog would most likely be looked at as prey."

Elgart said the attack was shocking, the kind of thing he'd heard about happening to other people but never thought would happen to his pup.

"I never saw [a coyote] before. I’ve seen foxes. I even saw a bear on my street in a neighbor's driveway last year. I’ve always heard the distant stories, never anyone I knew. Was stupidly very lax and naive thinking it could never happen to me," Elgart said, adding that if Zoey had been on a leash or if he'd been outside with her this could have been avoided.

Although highly unusual, it's not unheard-of for wild animals to kill family pets in North Jersey. Two small dogs were attacked, one fatally, by a coyote in Bloomingdale in mid-2017, and in late 2015 and a bear attacked and killed a family llama in Long Valley.

If there's one thing Elgart wants other pet owners to know, it's the importance of leashes, even if you have a fence.

"Just put out how important it is to have your dog on a leash. Even in a fenced in yard. Any fence under eight feet these predators can jump then it becomes a death trap for dogs who can’t get out," Elgart said. "This was in our front yard literally right outside our front door."

Image via Seth Elgart, used with permission