Coyote reportedly takes dog from Winnetka yard

Roberta Stewart had never seen a coyote in her Winnetka yard until Saturday afternoon, and by then, it was too late for her 10-year-old shorkie (shih tzu-Yorkshire terrier), Coco.

Stewart said that she let Coco outside under bright skies at 2 p.m. July 18, and her partner, Michael, then yelled for Stewart to look outside, where a coyote was standing over the dog. Stewart looked and screamed. The coyote then reportedly snatched her 9-pound dog and leaped over her 6-foot rear fence, fleeing into the brush behind her home on Woodlawn Avenue.

“It was like nothing for that coyote to go over the fence,” Stewart said. “… (Coco) didn’t make a peep.”

Stewart posted about the incident on NextDoor, where hundreds of users reacted or responded to her story. Many offered condolences while others shared details of their encounters with suburban coyotes.

Mature trees surround Stewart’s home, which also abuts the Green Bay Trail. While walking the trail, she said she has never seen a coyote; though her partner occasionally sees coyotes walking the neighborhood in the early morning.

“Now, I can’t get them out of my mind,” she said of coyotes. “I walk every morning and am on the lookout.”

Following the incident in Stewart’s yard, which is within the jurisdiction of Glencoe Public Safety, two Glencoe officers responded.

She expressed gratitude for the response and the officers’ kindness but acknowledged there was not much for them to do.

“They told me not to go into the weeds and look for her. I wouldn’t want to find her. It was all over in a matter of seconds,” Stewart said.

Glencoe Public Safety Deputy Chief Andrew Perley said coyote attacks on pets are rare in the area, and he said Stewart’s call was the first for Glencoe Public Safety in several years. Winnetka police seconded Perley’s thoughts. Deputy Chief Dylan Majcher said, “We rarely, if ever, encounter this exact type of incident.”

Perley said that for wildlife encounters his department relies on guidance from the Cook County’s Animal and Rabies Control and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and residents should contact Glencoe Public Safety if coyotes are exhibiting strange and aggressive behaviors or are overly comfortable around humans.

If Glencoe police receive a coyote-related call, Perley said, officers would respond and, if possible, observe the animal’s behavior. If the animal is sick, injured or aggressive to certain standards, a professional would be called to trap, relocated or even euthanize the animal, he explained.

The Urban Coyote Research Project, a local collaboration studying coyotes impact in Cook County, reports that attacks on pets have increased in metropolitan areas in the Midwest and eastern United States in recent years. Attacks on small dogs can occur at any time of the year, according to the project.

One cause of coyotes’ increased suburban activity is feeding by people, whether directly or indirectly, according to the research project.

“Once coyotes associate human buildings or yards with food, they may increase daytime activities and thus are seen more easily by people,” the webpage says.

The Urban Coyote Research Project offers six tips to avoid conflicts with coyotes: 1. Do not feed coyotes; 2. Do not let pets run loose; 3. Do not run from a coyote; 4. Repellents or fencing may help; 5. Do not create conflict where it does not exist; and 6. Report aggressive, fearless coyotes immediately.

Stewart moved from New Orleans to Winnetka three years ago to be closer to her grandchildren. In April, she said goodbye to her other dog, 18-year-old Oliver.

She said she’s had dogs all of her life “but Coco was the sweetest, most loving one.” She wishes more could be done about coyotes.

“It seems to me such an injustice that I can’t have a little dog without having to worry about it being killed by a coyote,” Stewart said.

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