Bobby Colella said his daughter’s chihuahua, Domino, got restless May 18, so she let him outside for a bathroom break.
But in an instant the dog was gone, snatched away by a coyote from Colella’s Port Orange yard.
The incident occurred around 9:03 p.m. May 18 at Colella’s home off of Herbert Street near Silver Sands Middle School, he said in an interview with The News-Journal on May 20.
Colella said when Domino, a 5-year-old chihuahua, stepped out of the house, he saw the coyote and chased after it.
“As soon as the chihuahua saw the coyote, he went after it, and the coyote just snatched the chihuahua right in front of my daughter,” Colella recounted.
Port Orange resident said coyote took daughter’s chihuahua into woods near middle school
Colella said that in his neighborhood he has seen foxes and other wildlife before, but never a coyote.
He said he watched the home’s surveillance video after his distraught daughter said her pet was taken and could not believe a coyote was just “sitting” in his yard. The coyote was standing in front of the home just before Domino chased after it, Colella said.
As soon as the coyote grabbed the chihuahua, it took off near a canal and into some thick woods near the middle school, he said.
“I tracked it into the woods to see if he dropped the chihuahua but didn’t find him,” Colella said. “I think they just took him and ate him.”
Colella said the incident left his 22-year-old daughter traumatized.
“She is just traumatized over her chihuahua being snatched by a coyote. She treated him as her kid,” Colella shared. “And not only by the violence but by the sheer size of the coyote.”
Colella said the coyote was pretty big and was the size of a “medium-size dog.”
“I guess pet owners should remain alert that coyotes are around,” Colella said. “It’s just like being near water, knowing there could be alligators lurking around.”
Group: Coyotes usually seen at night but are also out during daytime
Coyotes mostly come out at night but Volusia County Coyote Sightings, a group that monitors coyote movements, has Facebook posts of coyotes seen during daylight hours in residential neighborhoods.
The group has many posts of coyotes seen roaming residential neighborhoods in Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, DeLand, and Deltona.
What should you do if you see a coyote?
According to an archived 2023 News-Journal report, “Coyotes looking for love pose a danger to your pets: What to do when you see one,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends that residents frighten them away by “hazing.”
Tips for avoiding conflict with coyotes
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Port Orange pet chihuahua snatched by coyote, homeowner says
Reporting by Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
