Woman, dog recovering from coyote attack

GREENLAND, N.H. -A Greenland woman and her dog are recovering after they were injured in a coyote attack.

The woman involved in the Monday morning attack didn't want to be identified. Her 4-year-old dog, Mac, has too many wounds to count and is wearing a pain patch on his hind leg but was credited with fighting off the coyote.

The woman and her dog were attacked while they were walking in a field on her property. Her husband heard her screams and drove his truck to separate them from the wild animal.

"He fired off a couple of shots," said Police Chief Tara Laurent. "Not at the coyote, because it was near his wife, but he shot off a couple of rounds thinking it would scare the animal off, which is usually the case. And it didn't seem to faze the coyote in this particular case."

The coyote eventually backed off, allowing the woman and Mac to reach safety. She and her husband are getting rabies shots, and Mac may need more treatment for the injuries on his hind legs.

Neighbor and dog owner Elizabeth Tallman said she's shocked by the attack.

"I definitely will be more careful when I go out," she said. "I always take him out on a leash anyway because he wanders off, but I'll definitely make sure at night I'm more careful."

Neighbor Christine McLean has a 10-year-old pit bull.

"It's kind of scary," she said. "We hear (coyotes) all the time here. I think with all the development going on, they're trying to find new homes, but I am surprised that she was attacked."

Officials said it's unusual for a coyote to approach a human under any circumstances.

"It could be protecting young, protecting food -- any number of things," Laurent said. "Maybe displaced because of hunters because of this time of year. But it's really a rare thing. In my 18 years of experience, I never heard anything like it."

Laurent said she hopes this is an isolated incident, but she is also encouraging anyone who sees coyotes in the area to notify authorities.


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