Highlands Ranch Woman Saves Her Dog By Punching Coyote In The Face
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (CBS4) - A woman from Highlands Ranch now has a bruised hand after a violent encounter with a coyote.
Nettie Blanco said she punched the animal after it snatched her dog. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say there have been several coyote attacks on pets in Highlands Ranch.
In Blanco's case, the coyote crossed over a busy street, jumped over a fence and then attacked Blanco's little dog, Sammy.
"I hit and with (her hand) and it's sore," Blanco said. "I just had to hit him."
Blanco said it occurred Saturday morning after she opened her back door to let her 9-year-old shiatsu outside. Seconds later she saw a frightening sight from her window.
"Seconds later I saw this big coyote jump over the fence and grab him," she said.
Blanco sprinted outside and confronted the coyote.
"That coyote had him in his mouth and looked up, because Sam was laying … and he looked up at me and I just hit him with all my force right in the face," she said. "And then he looked at me … and then just jumped over the fence and took off."
Sammy was rushed to the veterinarian's office where he underwent several hours of surgery. Bandages now cover the lucky dog's neck wounds and bite marks are visible on his stomach.
"There's a line between us and them," Jennifer Churchill with Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.
Churchill said coyote mating season is now happening, and even in suburban areas the animals are on the prowl.
"It's something people really need to be extra cautious about," she said.
Blanco said she will never forget seeing her dog get attacked.
"Even when I'm mad at my husband, I've never felt what I felt that day," she said.
Because there are so many coyotes out people need to monitor their pets when they're outside.
