A LaSalle resident has put out a warning after the family's dog was attacked and killed by a coyote, right in her own backyard.
On Tuesday around 8 p.m., Lori Quaggiotto let the family's one-and-a-half year-old Yorkie Poo Maggie Sue outside to pee outside her home on Bouffard Rd.
She said she looked around looking for coyotes because there has been a problem and didn't see any.
Quaggiotto was calling Maggie Sue back in, when suddenly the coyote came out of nowhere, jumped the fence and snatched the little dog.
"It was devastating," she says. "There was no further sound."
Speaking on the AM800's the Morning Drive, Quaggiotto says she has contacted the town and wants something done.
"We have raised this issue with the township and councillors since January because we would see coyotes, like four in a row, pace our fence line."
She is worried about what may happen next time because the attack happened in less than 30 seconds.
Quaggiotto is calling on residents to start calling the town in hopes that something will get done to prevent another tragedy.
Similar coyote attacks took place in LaSalle on Reaume Rd. in September.
Executive Director of the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society Melanie Coulter says coyotes tend to go after dogs which are rabbit size.
Coulter says the key is to make a lot of noise, yell at the coyote or wave your arms around. She says if you see a coyote nearby, people are advised to pick up the dog.
LaSalle police confirm they have been contacted about Tuesday's attack and have reached out to the Ministry of Natural Resources for advice.
The town of LaSalle issued a statement Thursday afternoon indicating that it is saddened to hear of the tragic loss, but 'managing wildlife is out of our jurisdiction.'