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Mass. woman says a coyote killed her dog
"I can't believe that nothing can be done."
A Burlington woman says her dog was killed by a coyote at around 10 p.m. back on July 6.
Laura Messing let both of her dogs out unattended, and the coyote took off with her 10-month-old dog, who was later found on the other side of a four-foot fence, according to Burlington police.
The dog, named Dougal, had no visible injuries from the attack but died from a broken neck. Messing’s 14-year-old dog, Daisy, was unharmed but struggled to cope without the other dog for a while, she said.
After discussing the incident with environmental police, Burlington police determined there was no threat to public safety.
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Messing — whose story was first reported by NBC10 Boston — now wants other “pet owners to know that there is no fence you can build that is tall enough to keep a coyote out,” she told Boston.com.
Messing has lived in her Burlington home for 15 years, which, she said, is nearby to an area frequented by coyotes and she believes the coyote population has increased “a lot.”
When it snows, she said there are fresh coyote tracks near her porch every morning.
Messing also spoke to Massachusetts Environmental Police about the incident but they told her nothing can be done unless a human is impacted.
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“I can’t believe that nothing can be done,” she said.
While she wishes for a humane solution, she said she has “no ill will towards coyotes” unless they come into people’s yards.
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