A small dog was likely dragged from her owner’s backyard into the woods by a coyote in the tony New Jersey enclave of Saddle River — an attack likely due to “hyper aggression” during mating season, officials said Friday.
Neighbors are howling with fear after a resident left his pup, Gigi, alone outside earlier this week and returned to find her missing, according to abc7ny.com.
When the unidentified pet owner checked his home surveillance camera, he heard the sound of coyotes barking and called Saddle River Police, who launched a search for the dog near a stretch of mansions, according to the outlet.
Police in the town — where mansions can go for as much as $10 million to $14 million — said the poor pooch, whose age and breed was not reported, was likely snatched by one of the carnivorous canines, who dashed into the woods with her in its mouth near Burning Hallow Road.
Animal control officers, who were still looking for the dog Friday afternoon, warned that coyotes are more likely to attack pets during mating season from January to March.
“I have seen [coyotes] running from my house to the neighbors property,” one neighbor told the outlet, adding that the sightings were generally in the evening.
In October, a resident was bitten by a coyote in Saddle River and had to be treated for rabies.
The same month, a woman was attacked by one of the animals while she was with her family dog in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey around the same time.
