Max the Yorkie is a survivor after literally escaping a coyote's jaws of death.
"He had my dog - end of story," said Tami Williams. "I went and kicked him and got my dog back."
Williams says she let Max out of their North Barrington home Wednesday morning. He was 25 feet away, running back to the house when a coyote made a quick move.
"It was like a Chicago's Bears tackle," she said. "He came out of nowhere, hit him, grabbed him, and grabbed him right here - viciously."
You heard Williams correctly. She struck the coyote.
"I kicked him and he drops him," she said. "I grab him and I see blood all over."
They rushed Max to the animal hospital where he was treated for puncture wounds inside his mouth.
"We're just extremely fortunate that he's still here," Bret Williams said.
The story is different in Riverside, where a 7-month-old Bichon-Poo puppy died after being attacked Saturday. Animal Control experts say the coyote population is slightly up and this is mating season.
"This is their mating season," said Dr. Donna Alexander, administrator of Cook County Animal and Rabies Control. "So now they're going to be a little bit more aggressive. It's very important that you be with your dogs, whether small, medium or large dogs, and you should accompany them."
As for Max, he isn't himself yet.
"He's just been lethargic and out of it, but he's alive, but he's alive," Tami Williams said.
Dr. Alexander said the coyote population is up right now because last year's mild winter provided plenty of food like rats and rabbits for the coyotes.
Dr. Alexander also said that if you are going to be out with your dog, you should be within leash distance and that dogs should be leashed even if you think they are safe in your own backyard.
