Warning issued after Everett man fights off coyote trying to eat his dog

An Everett man acted quickly and saved his dog from a coyote’s grip Thursday morning.

A large coyote snatched the dog from a property on Westover Street, trying to break its neck several times as it held the dog still alive in its mouth, according to a Facebook post by Everett Animal Control.

The owner, Jim Mercado, told WCVB-TV that he heard his 3-year-old dog cry out in the yard, so he ran out and found the coyote holding the 15-pound pet in its mouth, “swinging him around like a rag doll. The dog was screaming.”

He grabbed a nearby broom and hit the coyote’s head as hard as he could to try to get his dog back, he told the news station.

The coyote refused to release the dog from its mouth, instead “shaking it viciously in front of the frantic owner,” animal control noted.

Mercado began screaming loudly while continuing to hit the coyote until the animal released the dog and fled. The dog survived the attack, officials said.

Animal control encouraged Everett residents, especially those in the Westover Street area, to be on alert, adding that the animals are protected by environmental police.

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