Hero Yorkie protects 10-year-old girl from coyote attack

TORONTO — A 6-year-old Yorkshire terrier is being hailed a hero after fending off her 10-year-old owner from a coyote attack on Tuesday.

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Lily Kwan was walking her dog, Macy, on a sidewalk when a coyote appeared and started to approach them, CTV News reported.

“And I thought, ‘oh my gosh, what is going to happen,’” she said. “Because the other day I saw Facebook postings of the same coyote chasing kids, biting one kid and I thought, ‘am I next, what is going to happen to me?’”

She ran and screamed for help. She rang doorbells but no one answered. The coyote continued to chase her. In her haste, she dropped Macy’s leash. Rather than run, the diminutive dog confronted the much larger animal. At one point, the coyote had Macy in its mouth.

Finally, a neighbor came out to help Kwan and chased off the coyote. Macy was taken to a veterinarian where she is recovering in an intensive care unit.

“She’s a super brave dog, I love her so much and I just thought this tiny dog could protect this huge human being trying to fight off this huge coyote,” Kwan said.

Mother Dorothy Kwan was shocked by the attack.

“I would never guess that a coyote would come out during the day and especially with someone screaming and yelling,” she said. “It still was not fazed, it just kept coming after her and our dog, despite all the yelling. It was quite aggressive.”

The coyote has been seen roaming neighborhoods in the area for the last year, City News reported. Wildlife officials believe the coyote is being fed by residents, leading to its aggressive behavior.

“A ‘normal,’ unfed coyote would likely have acted very differently in this situation and probably would have just run off,” Nathalie Karvonen, executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre, told City News. “The feeders are endangering people, pets and the coyotes themselves.”

The family started a crowdsource funding account to help cover Macy’s veterinary costs.

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