Dog injured by coyote near Paradise Beach, owner says

There is growing concern among some dog owners about coyotes on the American River Parkway. A Sacramento woman told KCRA 3 that her 3-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback was attacked near Paradise Beach Tuesday morning.“She let out a yell I've never heard before,” said Jill Foster. Foster said her dog, and others, were off-leash just before 7 a.m. when she saw two coyotes come out from the brush. She said her dog, Keeva, was roughly 10 to 15 feet away from her when she heard her dog cry. Keeva received a puncture in her side and scratches to her back hind leg. With antibiotics, Foster said her dog is expected to be okay. However, Foster said she’s been trying to reach Sacramento city and the county officials for weeks to express her concerns about the coyote population along the parkway after she said a coyote killed a friend’s dog several weeks ago. “We've tried 311. I personally rang in three times. I tried the county,” she said.The American River Parkway, including Paradise Beach, is a common place to see wildlife including deer, coyotes, turkeys and other species. Peter Tira, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said coyotes are common in Sacramento and are largely motivated by food. “We've seen them come in and out in neighborhoods,” Tira said. “They learn to associate people and neighborhoods with food, and as they do, they become a little bolder.”Tira said Fish and Wildlife works with local municipalities to inform community members about coexisting with coyote populations, but the focus is largely on education. He said the department would only act if a coyote attacked a human.“When you go out with your dog here at the American River Parkway, enjoy yourself, but understand you're entering coyote habitat, wildlife habitat,” Tira said. “You want to keep those dogs on leash, keeping close and be aware of your surroundings.”Dogs are required to be on a leash no more than six feet long when along the parkway. Despite Foster’s attempts to reach county officials, spokespeople from both the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County told KCRA 3 Tuesday that there had been no recent reports of coyote activity to them. “Our rangers see (coyotes) out when they're out patrolling, but we haven't heard anything from the public about it,” said Ken Casparis, a spokesperson for Sacramento County. Casparis said if you’re being attacked by an animal on the parkway, call 911 and rangers will be dispatched to assist. He said if the animal is no longer around and you are safe call ranger dispatch and they can respond. “Unless our rangers hear about it, unless you report it to us, we won't know about it,” he said. “Our rangers are out here every day patrolling the parkway.”Foster fears interactions between people, pets and coyotes will escalate. She said she is particularly concerned about the proximity of Paradise Beach and Glen Hall Park to a nearby elementary school.“If I hadn't have tried so much with the city and the county, trying to bring this to someone's attention, I wouldn't be here,” she said. “This is not something I wanted to do. It has to be fixed. Something has to happen.”A Sacramento city spokesperson said if people are encountering coyotes on city property, they can report to 311 so that the appropriate agency can be notified.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

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