SEATTLE — A Seattle woman was bitten by a coyote Friday when she tried to rescue her dog from its jaws.
The woman saw the coyote had her dog in its mouth in the backyard of her home in the Queen Anne neighborhood, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). She tried to free her dog and got bit in the process.
The woman’s arm and head were injured in the incident, and she went to the hospital. The injuries were not life-threatening, WDFW said.
WDFW officers searched for the coyote but weren’t able to find it.
The Seattle Police Department also responded to the scene.
The incident came a week after a coyote attacked a dog in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. The coyote attacked the dog in a backyard and ran down the street with the dog in its mouth. The dog's owners chased the coyote and got it to drop the dog after honking their horn and shining bright lights on it.
If a coyote approaches too closely, WDFW recommends acting aggressively toward it by waving your arms, shouting or throwing stones at it. Make yourself look bigger by standing on a rock or stump, which can make someone appear to be a threat to a coyote.
If you witness a coyote attack on supervised pets or backyard chickens, WDFW encourages you to report it to WDFW police officers. You can call (360) 902–2936, email WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov, or report online. If there is an immediate public safety issue or attack on a person, call 911 right away.
KING 5's Maddie White contributed to this report.
