DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A woman in Dania Beach had to defend her dog when, she said, he became the target of a coyote.
Karina Jaramillo loves her dog Gucci and said he has a great personality.
“He’s like an Englishman,” she said. “He’s very well behaved. He’s the love of my life.”
Jaramillo said on Wednesday night they were walking by a Walgreens in the West Lake Park area when she suddenly had to fight for the life of her 10-year-old Pomeranian.
“He jumped on us,” she said, referring to a coyote.
She said the whole ordeal happened so fast, she wasn’t able to snag a picture of the wild animal.
Jaramillo said she was certain the animal running toward her and Gucci was a coyote.
“Very long, very tall,” she said. “Very long ears and very skinny. I grabbed Gucci in my arms. I was like, ‘Ahh!’ Screaming like this, ‘Ahhhhh!'”
Jaramillo fell and scraped her knee and right arm, but her screams alerted someone who was passing by who helped scare the coyote away.
As she held Gucci walking home, Jaramillo said the coyote reemerged but was ultimately frightened by traffic on Sheridan Street.
Another coyote was spotted in Hallandale Beach in March.
“I was, like, shocked. I couldn’t believe what it was,” said Frankie Gadman, who spotted the animal in his backyard.
The wild animal has also been spotted in Tamarac, Margate and Hollywood. It has also been spotted inside of a Fort Lauderdale fire station.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said coyotes are in all 67 counties across the state and are in every state, except Hawaii.
Experts advise residents to expect more interactions with coyotes.
“I was like [in] fear for his life,” said Jaramillo. “That was my biggest fear.”
FWC has an interactive map on its website showing pinned locations where coyotes have been sighted and interacted with.
Neighbors now say they are being cautious.
“This is a dog neighborhood, you know?” said dog walker Kristina Santa. “Everybody is walking with their dogs, jogging with their dogs.”
FWC officials removed the coyote from the area, and they have humanely put the coyote down.
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