Coyote jumps fence, grabs Florida man’s dog

HUDSON, Fla. — Coyotes are active in certain parts of Florida, but a Pasco County man thought his subdivision was safe when he let his small dog out into his yard on Monday.

He was wrong.

Chip Revels, of Hudson, said he had let his dog, Bitzy, out Monday when he heard the animal crying. A coyote had scaled Revels' fence and was dragging the dog away, WFLA reported.

“She wanted to go outside to go tinkle and I let her out,” Revels told the television station. “Pretty scary. She was screaming and crying and I thought a bird had her or a hawk or owl so I came running and I wasn’t fast enough. I grabbed a lawn chair and went over there and the coyote had jumped the fence and got her.”

Revels has not seen his dog since.

The Beacon Woods subdivision where Revels lives is not in a rural part of Pasco County. It contains a golf course and nicely manicured homes. Revels, who recently moved into his home, said he believed coyotes did not venture into developed neighborhoods.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, coyote activity in Florida is not unusual. The agency’s website includes a page dedicated to alerting residents about how to avoid wild animals such as coyotes, and how to safely scare them away.

It is too late for Revels, but he wanted to share his story to alert other residents to the possibility of coyote attacks.

“I don’t want anybody to go through what I’m going through right now,” Revels told WFLA.

More information about coyotes can be found on the FWC website.

Cox Media Group