‘A yelp and they were gone’: Dog attacked, snatched up by coyote in Scarborough

A woman who lost her dog to a coyote is hoping other residents can learn from her traumatic experience, especially given there seem to be more interactions with coyotes in Toronto.

“My back was turned. I turned, and she was right there. And the coyote just came out of nowhere and just picked her up and grabbed her and took off,” said Susan Seeley. “There was one little yelp, and then they were gone.”

Seeley says the experience in a Scarborough park on Glen Everest Road has left her mourning the loss of her six-year-old shih-tzu, but also hopes that sharing her story will prevent future incidents.

“There’s a lot of coyotes around. People need to be warned about this area. It’s my mistake … I should have them on leash,” shared Seeley. “You have to keep your dogs on leash. Because of these coyotes, you never know; it just happens in one second.”

Other coyote attacks have been reported across the GTA over the past year, including recently in Liberty Village.

The City of Toronto says they are working to spread information and will be considering recommendations for updating the city’s coyote strategy later this year.

“It’s something that the city takes very seriously. Public safety is our number one priority. When you remove coyotes from a specific area, all that happens is other coyotes move in. So it’s almost impossible to clear an area of coyotes,” said a city spokesperson.

The City says you may see coyotes more at this time of year because of a lack of foliage, less natural food supply, and breeding. While they are mostly seen at night, daytime encounters are not rare.

One was even spotted in the park where CityNews was on Tuesday.

A woman walking with her dog in the park when the coyote was spotted said area residents need to be vigilant.

“I was actually pretty scared, but it’s a difficult choice because they are animals, and they do live in the same space, but if they do start to become more aggressive, then that’s what I would want the city to take some action in that case,” said the woman who asked not to be identified.

The City wants to remind residents that it is the law to have their dogs on a leash and to not feed wild animals.

There is currently a request for study from Toronto’s city council with the intent to update the city’s official coyote strategy, but that won’t be submitted until towards the end of 2025.