Coyote incidents leaving some Sun City residents worried

SUN CITY, Ariz. - Some coyotes have made a home of sorts in a Sun City neighborhood, and that is leaving some residents fed up and concerned about their safety, after multiple pets were attacked.

"Last Friday, we were sitting and having coffee, talking to my sister from Michigan, and all of a sudden, I heard a growl from DJ," said Patricia Larsen.

DJ is a small Pomsky dog that belongs to Larson. A Pomsky, according to Purina UK, is a designer crossbreed of Pomeranian and the Siberian Husky. DJ, as it turns out, was growling at coyotes on the other side of a wall.

Within seconds, DJ disappeared.

"I ran through my house and around the corner, and found DJ hanging by the mouth of a coyote," said Larsen.

Without thinking, Larsen ran after the coyotes screaming, hoping they would leave her Pomsky alone.

"I thought I was going to lose them, so I took off my shoes - the same shoes I’m wearing now - and I threw one," said Larsen. "By the grace of God, one hit the coyote, and they dropped him."

The coyote grabbed DJ before Larsen could, but then, she threw a rock, and the coyote dropped DJ a second time.

Larsen was able to get DJ, and carried him home. DJ suffered injuries on his neck and stomach, but the dog will be OK.

DJ was fortunate to survive the attack: not all dogs in the neighborhood were so lucky.

"A couple of years ago, we had a dog killed by the coyotes," said Cyria Cyndi Woodward-Halberg. "We were taking the dog for a walk, and that was it."

Woodward-Halberg and her dog was ambushed by a coyote that was hiding in a bush.

"Our dog was walking, and a coyote just attacked it and carried it off," said Woodward-Halberg. "There was nothing we can do. It was the saddest day ever."

We reached out to officials with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, who said a coyote will only be removed when it becomes a public safety concern, or shows aggression toward attacking a human.