SWANTON, OH (WTOL) - Mary Strance’s dog Cubby stays a lot closer to her now after he lost his sister Chloe.
The season coyotes are out and about more often has already sprung and Strance said she believes Chloe was taken by a pack.
While she can’t confirm coyotes are the cause for Chloe’s disappearance, she sees them regularly. “The dog kept barking, so I said something’s out there. So, I came out and my little one, the Lhasa Apso was gone,” she said.
Now, she wants people to be aware of their pets and their surroundings, which is exactly what Nature’s Nursery recommends this time of year.
“They live there all the time, they live in Downtown Toledo, they live in the suburbs, they live in the country, but when they have their babies, people are more likely to see them, more frequently, a little more in the daytime,” Executive Director of Nature’s Nursery Steve Kiessling said.
Strance said she usually watches her dogs when they’re outside but she was busy with dinner and that’s when she believes one of her dogs was taken.
“They’re our loved ones, and it only took a few minutes, a few minutes and an animal took my baby and I’m warning everyone. It happened to me,” she said.
Laura Zitzelberger, who takes care of the coyote that lives at Nature’s Nursery, said they are usually pretty shy and will avoid people. At the same time, she said Strance is doing the right thing by letting others know her concern.
“Talk to your neighbors. If you know he has a Yorkie he lets out in the backyard, tell them it’s proably not a good idea,” Zitzelberger said.