Dog attacked by a pack of coyotes near Bancroft Drive in Sudbury

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Northern Ontario dog attacked by coyote pack on morning walk

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A Sudbury, Ont., woman is sounding the alarm after her dog was attacked and injured by a pack of coyotes earlier this week while out for a walk in the Minnow Lake area of the city.

Taylor Knopczyk said she was outside Jan. 6 around 8:30 a.m. with her two dogs on Bancroft Drive when they began to bark.

At first, she thought another dog was in her yard — but she quickly realized it was a coyote.

One of her dogs, named Dakota, ran toward her, while the other took off on a nearby trail. That’s when the coyote pack arrived.

“All of a sudden, out of nowhere … four more just came out of nowhere and they all had the run on her,” said Knopczyk.

She ran inside to get her brother-in-law and they both started making as much noise as possible.

“To make them stop,” Knopczyk said. “And they wouldn’t.”

Stopped for ‘a split second’

The coyotes only broke off their attack when her brother-in-law started his snowmobile and revved the engine.

“They stopped for a split second,” she said. “And then in that split second, she had enough time to run back to me.”

The coyotes bit six-year-old Dakota several times and needed to have staples at the Walden Animal Hospital.

Dr. Carolyn Lariviere, a vet for 25 years, said in her experience, coyote attacks are fairly common — and the dogs don’t always survive.

“We had a very lovely golden retriever that bounded off after some coyotes and we lost that patient about four years ago,” Lariviere said.

“In Moonglow subdivision, one of our very good clients let his springer spaniels out into his fenced backyard. The coyote jumped the fence and attacked his dog, Monty.”

“They’re not afraid of this environment that we live in,” she added.

“Neighbourhoods are hunting grounds for them.”

Lariviere said coyotes will go after cats and dogs, big or small, no matter the time of day. Pet owners can take some precautions, she added.

“Always have your dog on a leash so that they don’t go chasing the coyotes because that’s part of their game plan,” she said.

“Two if they do come around, make yourself large, make yourself loud.”

Lariviere isn’t sure how many animals fall victim to coyote attacks each year, but said incidents are especially common this time of year.

Mating season

“Coyotes go into their mating season around mid to the end of January all the way through April,” she said.

“And that’s when they become very brazen. They’re more aggressive than before. They typically only come around at night, but at this time of year, daytime is not uncommon.”

They are opportunistic hunters, she said, and will attack any animal they “think they can get away with. So a leash is vitally important. And keep your cats inside.”

Knopczyk said this isn’t the first time she and her partner, Anthony Salo, have seen coyotes in the area. They have tried reporting coyote sightings to the Ministry of Natural Resources multiple times without success.

“It would be different if (we) were in the bush and our dog was in the bush, but they’re coming in our yard and doing this,” she said.

“It’s kind of a bigger issue, so we wanted to see what they could do or, like, what we’re able to do about it.”

In a statement to CTV News, the MNR said local municipalities take the lead in responding to such incidents.

“MNR supports municipalities by providing technical guidance, best practices to reduce conflicts and coordination where warranted,” the statement said.

“Coyotes are common in urban and suburban areas across Ontario. To reduce the risk of encounters, we advise residents to keep pets on a short leash, supervise them outdoors, remove food attractants and never feed wildlife.”

“If a coyote is encountered, do not approach; make yourself appear large, maintain eye contact, back away slowly, and consider ‘hazing’ techniques to encourage the animal to move on.”

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