A home security camera captured the moment a man jumped in to save his dog from a coyote attack.
Timothy Snipe, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina said he was letting his dog Roxie outside for a potty break on Friday when the incident happened.
“[Roxie] started barking, and I was like what is she barking at,” Snipe recalled to Nexstar’s WCBD.
In the woods, Roxie could see what Snipe couldn’t at that moment — a coyote ready to attack.
“Instead of running towards me, she ran towards the coyote,” explained Snipe.
It didn’t take long before Snipe jumped into action. His heroic efforts were caught on Ring camera.
“The coyote jumped on me and bit me on my leg, and I wrestled it down, I choked him out,” he said.
Snipe got control of the coyote, picking it up by the tail and putting it in a nearby dumpster until he could get help.
He ultimately killed the coyote, he told WCBD. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control collected the animal, which is now being tested for rabies.
Snipe said he received nine rabies shots and is “feeling good.”
“I knew I could’ve been alright, even if I would’ve gotten bit and gotten rabies or something, but if [Roxie] had gotten bit, it was over,” Snipe said, adding that he will now keep a coyote-proof vest on Roxie whenever she goes outside.
Snipe said if he had to, he would do it all over again to keep Roxie safe.
“Once you get a pet, they’re automatically a part of the family and this is my girl, this is our girl.”
If you do find yourself face-to-face with a coyote, wildlife officials recommend making yourself seem as large and loud as possible, Nexstar’s KDVR reports. That means waving your arms and yelling as much as possible. They also advise against feeding a coyote, whether on purpose or indirectly by leaving food outside.
