EDMONTON -- It happened within seconds. A coyote leapt over Sheena Humphrey's backyard fence in Edmonton, snatched her blind Pomeranian in its jaws and attempted to run off with it.

Now the pet owner is warning others to watch out for their own pets—and children

The attack happened early Monday morning in the Albany area of north Edmonton.

Humphrey said her partner had let out their two small one-year-old dogs when one of them started barking.

"He just heard Luna, the smaller one, barking like crazy so he turned around," he said. "By that point, the coyote had already jumped into the yard and had Johnny."

What the couple didn't see moments earlier was a chilling scene captured on surveillance camera. In the video, a pair of coyotes can be seen sizing up the dogs when one leaps over the roughly four-foot fence and chases Luna off-camera.

"She's super quick so she booked it right under the deck, so that's when the coyote turned around and targeted Johnny," she said. "Johnny's blind, so that's where you see in the video where he kind of doesn't know what's going on, and that's when he gets attacked."

For a few seconds, the coyote had the dog in its mouth and viciously shook it before Humphrey's partner ran into the yard.

"He hit the fence and finally dropped Johnny," she said. The coyotes then stood in the nearby field and stared at the property, Humphrey said.

While the attack looked horrific on camera, Johnny only suffered two puncture wounds on his neck and was checked out by a veterinarian. He was given antibiotics as a precaution.

"Other than that he's back to normal. Luna's a little traumatized but overall they're doing really well," she said.

Humphrey said she's just glad her kids weren't in the yard at the time, and added she'll be keeping a closer eye on both her pets and her children when they're outside as well as building her fence another two to three feet higher.

Other coyote attacks have been reported in the city. One person took to Twitter on Wednesday saying he and his dogs were cornered by two coyotes near Lynwood Elementary School.

Coyotes aren't an unusual sight within Edmonton, and the city has even dedicated a page on its website to educating residents on how to cohabitate with the animals.

The city says pet owners should keep animals on their property, secure garbage and clean up fallen fruit and bird seed to avoid attracting coyotes.

Owners are also encouraged to not leave cats or small dogs unattended outside for long periods of time.

City of Edmonton park ranger Gareth Villanueva said the homeowners "did exactly what they should've done in that situation."

"When people are dealing with coyotes, the best thing for them to do is to be big, loud, brave, bold. Make as much noise as you can and make the coyote miserable to be in the area."

The city has more tips for anyone who encounters a wild coyote:

  • Throw rocks, sticks or other objects at the coyote
  • If the coyote continues to approach, back away slowly. Do not turn around and run.

Anyone who has been followed, chased or attacked by a coyote is asked to report it to the city's 311 line.