Coyote suspected in deaths of RB dogs

A coyote is allegedly responsible for the deaths of two Rancho Bernardo

dogs, and their owner is hoping the tragedy will make others cautious.

Max, a Yorkie/Silkie mix, and Molly, a Yorkshire Terrier, were attacked in the backyard of their Seven Oaks home during the late afternoon or early evening of Dec. 4, said Sharon Council.

The dogs belonged to her sister, Cheryl Ornellas, who also lives in the home on Lomica Drive.

Ornellas was out of town when Council came home and discovered the mauled body of Max around 8:45 p.m., Council said. Molly was nowhere to be found.

“We had set up a large crate inside and had a doggie door so they could go in and out,” Council said. “The theory is that Molly was out, because she loved going out in the yard exploring ... and a coyote possibly got her (first).”

Council said Max probably heard Molly barking and rushed outside, where based on blood all over the yard and condition of his body, a fight ensued.

“Maxie was mauled terribly,” Council said, adding neighbors helped her and said, based on his body, death must have occurred shortly before she came home.

While there is no proof a coyote is responsible for the dogs’ deaths, Council said she is convinced because she saw coyotes on a nearby hill a month earlier when she went on morning walks and there are no large dogs nearby.

“I never dreamed they would come into the yard,” Council said, adding the fence is no more than four feet high.

She has told neighbors what happened so they will be more cautious.

“I’m not as old as a lot of my neighbors who I see walking dogs in the early evening,” Council said. “If coyotes came after their pets, they might not be prepared, their instinct would be (to save the dog) and someone could get hurt.”

After the dogs died, Ornellas said she called several agencies and “one animal control (representative) did not show any concern. His reply was that is part of living in San Diego,” Ornellas said.

Harry Morse, a public information officer for California Fish and Game, said the department has 200 wardens statewide who respond to incidents if public safety is involved, meaning a person must have been bitten or threatened. Since 1982 there have been more than 130 cases in Southern California where humans have been seriously injured or killed due to coyote bites, he said.

Morse said typically a coyote will wait in bushes and grab a small dog as it walks by, describing it as “a pretty vicious attack.”

“In most cases, it goes right for the pet and there is not much anyone can do,” Morse said. For example, he said a 6-foot 4-inch, 240-pound man in Huntington Beach was bitten when trying to save his dog.

When a human is bitten and the coyote is located, wardens kill the animal. However, locals are typically not allowed to harm the animals.

Morse said residents should make the neighborhood as unappealing as possible to coyotes. Don’t leave food outdoors or feed them. If they are seen, make loud noises (yelling and clapping) and do “anything you can to scare them off and let them know they are not welcome in the neighborhood.

“Coyotes are very smart animals,” Morse added. Not establishing patterns, such as walking a dog or letting it into the backyard at 9 p.m. each night, is also important so the coyote does not know when to expect a potential meal.

While coyotes entering a house via a doggie door is “extremely unlikely,” Morse said he knows of at least one case among hundreds of calls over the past three years where that happened.

If a person is involved in a wild animal attack, he said 911 should be called.

For tips on deterring coyotes, go to www.keepmewild.org or call 858-467-4201.