A dog killed by an unknown predator has a Kansas City dog owner mourning the loss of her pup — and leaves a community grappling with unanswered questions.
Dog killed in suspected wild animal attack
The dog, Chavez, lived near 115th Street and Donahoo Road in the Piper community of Kansas City, Kansas. He had been with his family for 12 years. On Monday, his dog mom, Amy Pendleton, let the canine out into a fenced backyard to play. A while later, the family came to find him. They discovered the dog’s snout wedged in the fence instead. The dog’s body was gone.
“It’s graphic but the only way to say is he was eaten down to the bone,” Pendleton told Fox4News. “It was a picture of his spine and it was all bone.”
Chavez’s fence was up against a wooded area, inciting suspicions that a wild animal killed the dog. Neighbors also claim that other pets, and even a young calf, have been attacked along 115th Street between Donahoo and Leavenworth Road.
Expert weighs in on wild animal attack
Local residents believe a mountain lion is on the loose, but Matt Peek, a wildlife biologist, believes it is a pack of coyotes.
“We don’t have any evidence that there’s a mountain lion in that area,” Peek told Fox4 News. “This dog is on the bigger side of what you would usually see, but if there’s a pack you could see four to six of them, in fact that is the most likely scenario in this case.”
Peek advised that dog owners of small to medium pups accompany their canine companions outdoors.
But that advice wouldn’t have applied to Pendleton, whose dog weighed over 50 pounds. She also surmises that if a wild animal would attack a big dog like Chavez, children might be at risk of harm, too.
“Keep a look out,” she said. “I would say for sure watch your pets but definitely watch your children as well.”
However, Peek doesn’t think people need to be concerned for their children. He says there’s more animosity between coyotes and canines, due to their territorial nature.
Still, wildlife biologists are investigating the incident.
“This was a vicious attack so we still have a big problem,” Pendleton said.
But it’s not one dog owners should take into their own hands. According to the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department, hunting coyotes is illegal.
Read up on other wild animals that might attack your dog and how to keep your canine safe.
