Coyote kills dog in Westboro; owner 'afraid'

WESTBORO, Mass. -- A coyote recently killed a small dog in Westboro, and the dog's owners are asking the town for help.

“I’m afraid now. I’m afraid to come back here,” said Stacy Aragon, whose dog was killed by the coyote.

Aragon and her 11-year-old son are still terrified after seeing a coyote emerge from the woods and snatch their dog, a seven-pound Maltese.

The dog was playing near a table on the family’s property.

“The coyote had my dog in its mouth. My dog was gone immediately,” said Aragon.

Aragon said the coyote was about the size of a German Shepherd, and it took off running away from the house with the dog in its mouth.

The pet’s remains were never found.

“My son and I were just screaming, we were screaming to get my other dog in,” said Aragon.

Wildlife experts said that coyotes are more active during this time of year, when they’re more pressured to feed their young.

“Who expects wild kingdom to be taking place in their back yard. The truth is that there have only been three attacks on people by coyotes in the past 50 years,” said Marion Larson of the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife in Massachusetts.

Officials recommend that residents don’t leave out leave out food, including bird feed and trash. People are also advised to make noise to frighten the animals.

“By yelling at them, waving your arms around, banging pots and pans, throwing a softball, squirting with a hose,” said Larson.

Aragon, meanwhile, plans on keeping her other dog and 1-year-old inside at all times. Experts said that Aragon should do the opposite, because the more residents use their yard, the better they establish their territory with coyotes.

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