Dog attacked, owner blames coyote problem

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) - At least one homeowner in the small town of Prince's Lakes says coyotes are becoming an all too common sight. She says her dog was attacked last night and now she's making it her mission to get the growing population under control.

When Danielle Johnson let in her dogs from her fenced-in backyard Sunday, the sight of Wyatt, her Red Heeler, scared her.

"I called my parents and said, 'Something happened to Wyatt. He's covered in blood,' and I called my boyfriend crying."

Wyatt had been attacked and Danielle says it didn't take long for her know what did it.

She says it was one of the many coyotes that she says are a common sight in her town of Prince's Lakes. She says her vet confirmed it.

"He said that he wasn't really surprised that it was a coyote. He's had numerous cases from Nineveh, Prince's Lakes area."

24-Hour News 8 spoke with Prince's Lakes Marshal, Greg Southers. He wasn't able to go on camera but said he has received eight to ten reports of missing cats in the past few months but says, other than that, he hasn't received enough complaints to warrant any action.

It hasn't stopped Danielle from trying. In the last two years she's made calls to the Marshal's office, the Town Board and the Department of Natural Resources. Each time, she says she's been told there's no officer on duty, or they don't see it as a problem, or that she lives in the country. What does she expect?

"I understand that I do live in the country but I live within town limits. I have a fenced-in back yard. They should not be coming into my back yard, climbing a fence, to eat my dog," said Johnson. "I hope that it doesn't take somebody's dog to die or somebody's kid to get hurt for them to realize this is an issue and somebody needs to come in here and do something."

Marshal Southers said that if anyone else is concerned with the coyote issue, to call his office. He'll do something if he feels enough people are worried.