A two-year-old bichon-mix had to be euthanized after the small dog was attacked by a coyote in the Nichols Avenue area, near Trumbull, early in the morning on Feb. 19.
Shelton Animal Control Officer Sheryl Taylor said a Sara-Nor resident let his dog out the back door at 5:30 a.m. and later heard her yelp. His dog had bite marks on it, so he took his pet to the vet.
Taylor said the veterinarian told the pet owner that the bites were comparable to a coyote and the bichon-mix had to be euthanized due to the extent of her injuries.
When asked what a dog owner could do to prevent such attacks, Taylor said, "They can make noise when they let the animal out."
But she added, "I wouldn’t recommend letting a small dog out the back door. It's better to walk them on a leash, even a larger dog."
Taylor said pet owners sometimes feel their dog is protected when they have an invisible fence but, though it keeps dogs in the yard, she noted it does not keep other animals out.
She also reminds people to make sure their pets have been vaccinated for rabies, because you never know what they could come into contact with outside.
