A Toronto family's dog is recovering after her heroic actions kept a coyote from getting to her 10-year-old human.
Macy, a 6-year-old Yorkie, was on a walk with 10-year-old Lily Kwan in their Toronto neighborhood. Lily had heard about coyotes approaching young children in the area, but she never imagined it would happen to her.
Lily panicked at how close the coyote was getting to her and Macy, so she began to run. As she ran screaming for help, she dropped Macy's leash. In video of the event, Macy appears to lag back a bit to distract the coyote from Lily and defend her.
Lily Kwan was taking her dog, Macy, on a walk in their Toronto neighborhood when they encountered a coyote. Lily had heard about coyotes approaching kids nearby. She'd even seen Facebook posts about the subject.
Lily's mom, Dorothy Kwan, had left for work moments earlier. Last she'd heard, Lily's plans included taking Macy to a nearby park they go to frequently. Then she got a call from her neighbor.
The neighbor informed Dorothy that they'd seen a coyote with Macy in its mouth. Macy had been running around, distracting the coyote, who had been chasing Lily.
"And I thought, oh my gosh, what is going to happen, because the other day I saw Facebook postings of the same coyote chasing kids, biting one kid and I thought am I next, what is going to happen to me?" Lily told CTV News.
"I ran to the sidewalk and started screaming for help. No one heard me," she added.
"I just dropped everything and drove home," Dorothy told 680 News.
"I found my neighbour with my daughter and our dog in the house bleeding."
Dorothy contacted her vet, but the office was closed, so they had to take Macy to an animal hospital.
"She had a puncture wound on her back. She was covered in blood on her face. She had a very bad leg wound," Dorothy explained. Macy suffered eight to 10 bite wounds and spent three days getting thousands of dollars in treatment in a canine ICU.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the single mom with the brave dog's medical bills. It has raised over $35,000.
Macy is now home from the hospital and recovering.
"We are truly blessed that your thoughts and prayers are with Macy throughout her recovery journey," Dorothy shared.
"It will be a long one. She is now resting peacefully at home in her favourite bed."
Lily is also recovering from the scary incident. "She's doing as best as she could. She is a very strong girl. She's obviously scared and traumatized," Dorothy said.
"She goes for a walk with our dog maybe three times a day. It's one of her favourite things to do, to go out, go to the park with her dog and come back."
Local officials say the coyote attacks have risen in the area because some members of the community have taken to feeding the coyotes.
"I would like to see the City capture and relocate, especially aggressive coyotes," Dorothy suggests.
"I am not saying remove them all but ones that actually will sit there or stare at you or chase your children or not run when you yell at it."
