Toronto family calls on city to do more after beloved dog killed in coyote attack

For Brad Wishak, Friday started like any normal day, but quickly turned tragic when their beloved French bulldog Newman was brutally attacked and killed by a coyote.

Wishak tells CityNews that they let Newman out to play in the backyard in The Queensway and Park Lawn Road area in Etobicoke, but when he failed to return after calling him, they found the six-year-old pup’s lifeless body covered in blood.

“He had an amazing heart and personality, and that’s what makes it so hard,” said Wishak. “Not an aggressive bone in his body, and he didn’t deserve to be eaten alive.”

“It was really horrible,” added Kelly Wishak. “You expect your backyard to be safe, and we’ve never had a coyote in the back before.”

The family’s security cameras captured the moments leading up to the attack, showing the coyote moving up towards the stairs where, just moments before, Newman is seen playing in the backyard.

“This was definitely a safety area, six-foot fences along the entire property – you can’t go higher under City of Toronto bylaws – and it was pretty shocking that there was a coyote in here. Seventeen years and we’ve never seen one,” Wishak explained.

Following the attack, the Wishaks reached out to Animal Services to let them know of the attack, but said no clear direction was given on how the city would be handling the incident. Instead, a pamphlet was dropped off at their front door and distributed throughout the neighbourhood

“It’s just going to become more of a problem,” he said. “Say I had a six-year-old child that was with Newman in the backyard and that coyote hopped the fence and attacked, it could have been an even more tragic ending. I’m worried that it might take an instance like that for the city to finally wake up and implement some real change.”

Toronto Animal Services told CityNews Monday they have spoken to the family and have patrolled the nearby greenspaces.

Their staff are currently working on ensuring signage warning residents about coyotes are put up in the area, educate residents on removing garbage and keeping garbage bins secured and delivering educational materials to the those in the neighbourhood.

Animal Services says this is the second reported attack on dogs in 2026.

“We take all coyote attack incidents seriously and provide dog owners simple tips to keep themselves and their pets safe,” read their statement. “We encourage Toronto residents to visit toronto.ca/coyotes for tips to keep themselves, their pets and each other safe.”

Back in May 2025, the city euthanized two coyotes responsible for attacking and killing multiple pets in the Liberty Village and Fort York neighbourhoods.