Coyote snatches terrier from Yellowknife backyard in broad daylight

A Yellowknife woman is warning pet owners to be vigilant for predators after one of her Yorkshire terriers was snatched from her backyard by a coyote over the weekend.

Shelley Grimes, who lives on Rivett Crescent near Range Lake, had let her two dogs, Zoey and Charlie, out into the yard at about 3 p.m. Sunday.

"When I looked out I noticed there was a coyote running toward one of the dogs so I ran out and kind of shushed him away and made a lot of noise.

"I grabbed up the dog and I looked around but I couldn't find my other dog. I was calling her name over and over but I couldn't find her anywhere."

Grimes says Zoey has not been found, despite an extensive search of the neighbourhood with help from friends. 

"We haven't found any sign of her. She's so small that I don't think she would have made it through the night because it was a little colder."

Grimes said she later heard neighbours had seen two coyotes in the area, and she thinks Zoey had already been taken by one coyote before she looked out and saw the second heading for Charlie.

"We are heartbroken," she said. "For goodness sakes, keep your pets in and watch them if you need to take them out."

Dean Cluff, a biologist for the North Slave region with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, says coyote attacks on humans are rare, though people should be cautious as "small pets and children are potential prey for a bold coyote."

He says coyotes have been around the Yellowknife area for decades, but there have been more sightings since the early 2000s, when one or two packs of coyotes began breeding within Yellowknife's city limits.

Cluff said coyotes are known for adapting well to urban environments.

"It does happen with coyotes more so than other wildlife that they can live very comfortably among people," he said.

"In other places like California and Vancouver, you have coyotes that come into people's yards. They've taken a steak off a barbecue. They had a coyote riding transit. The ones that live in urban centres do get used to people and can live quite happily among people."

Wildlife officers plan to monitor the neighbourhood.