‘Within seconds he was gone:’ Milford residents warned about coyotes after woman’s dog was snatched

MILFORD, Mass. — A Milford woman is on the verge of tears after a coyote grabbed her prized 9-year-old chihuahua Guido early Wednesday morning.

“The dog woke me up to got o the bathroom and within seconds he was gone,” said Sharon Vater-Araya.

Guido vanished from her back yard.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m just devastated and in shock,” she said.

At first she didn’t realize a coyote took Guido.

“No, I didn’t I was driving around with flashlights walking around. I trying to do everything,” she said.

She later saw blood out in the woods and realized Guido was gone.

“We’ve unfortunately seen a lot more & more and coyotes over the last few years,” said Kevin Beaulieu who lives just around the corner and run a neighborhood Facebook page.

Beaulieu posted a message to the group as a warning for others. He’s lived here nearly thirty years and says in the last five years the number of coyotes has really jumped.

“And we’re seeing people’s door cams are starting to pick up more and more occurrences of the coyotes coming thru the areas and even sometimes wolves,” he said.

Sharon is glad he’s warning others.

“I don’t want anyone else to go thru it,” she said.

And she adds that she’s afraid to take her other two dogs out after what happened to Guido.

“Yeah, I didn’t even want to take them out this afternoon,” she said.

The Milford Animal Control Officer tells Boston 25 there are a lot of coyotes in the woods out in town. So, he advises people to:

• Be vigilant especially at night
• Keep your dog on a leash
• Carry a walking stick
• And keep any pet food stored so it doesn’t attract any animals

All good tips he says to keep your pets safe.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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