A stray dog survived a 45-minute coyote attack earlier this month in Orange County, fending off at least five coyotes that circled it in a residential neighborhood.
Incredible video posted on Nextdoor and shared with KTLA showed the dog fighting off the coyotes in the driveway of a home in Brea on May 6.
It happened around 5:40 a.m. on Huntley Circle near the 57 freeway, the homeowner said.
The video shows several coyotes surrounding and attacking a young Labrador mix that was roaming the neighborhood without a collar. The attack seemingly went unnoticed until the homeowner spotted a coyote outside his garage.
“I pounded on [the window] as my garage door opened. About five or six coyotes appeared from different directions and headed up our hill,” Steve Shatynski wrote in an email to KTLA. “The puppy headed up the hill amongst the group.”
Shatynski posted the video on Nextdoor, hoping someone might recognize the dog and bring it home. The dog was later seen wandering the neighborhood for two more days and even returned to Shatynski’s home, he said.
Shatynski tried unsuccessfully to corral the dog, but ultimately decided to call Brea police for help. They coordinated with Orange County Animal Care, and at some point, a private trapper responded to capture the dog and bring it to a local shelter.
Shatynski said he saw a listing for the dog on the OC Animal Care website, but that listing has since been removed. It’s unclear if the dog was reunited with an owner or adopted by someone else.
As far as Shatynski could tell, the dog didn’t seem to have any major injuries from the attack. The video shows the dog standing its ground, chasing the coyotes off and retreating as necessary to avoid being mauled.
The attack has renewed concern among pet owners, who are urged to remain vigilant with coyotes ever present in the area. Shatynski said the dog had barked only once or twice before the attack, and no other noises were heard, so residents cannot always rely on their pets alerting them to threats.
With coyote sightings becoming more frequent across the region, animal control officials advise residents not to leave pets outside unattended, particularly overnight or around dawn when coyotes are most active. Residents are also encouraged to remove food sources, such as pet food or fallen fruit, and to use motion-activated lights to deter wildlife.
Officials continue to encourage the public to report sightings and share information to help keep neighborhoods safe.
For more information about reducing human-coyote conflicts, visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
