Brampton officials patrolling streets after dog is killed in coyote attack near schools

The City of Brampton is conducting patrols after a dog was killed in a coyote attack near two elementary schools.

Monica Vincent and her dog Jada were walking on Sunset Boulevard near Our Lady of Fatima elementary school and Glendale Elementary school around 9:30 p.m. on June 20 when they were approached by a coyote.

"As soon as we got near the fire post there, a coyote attacked us or a coywolf attacked us from behind," she said. "He took my dog and he ran off that way."

Vincent said Jada managed to get away, but she couldn't find her.

"I was out all night looking for her until seven o'clock in the morning," she explained.

Jada's body was found the next day. Vincent said the dog had a puncture wound under its rib where it had likely bled out.

"It was hard on me, it still is, really is. I miss her a lot," she said.

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Back in March, Glendale Elementary sent out a letter to parents stating there had been a coyote sighting on school grounds.

"We had like an indoor recess ,so we got to play with stuff basically," said Colton Carberry, who was in Grade 3 at the time. "They just ran inside like right away, and that only happens when it's raining."

The letter said a coyote had been seen by a community member around 8:20 that morning.

"The school failed to tell people, other people in the neighbourhood especially, like my mom and dad who are backing onto the school that there's a coyote," said Vincent. If they had been told she said she never would have taken Jada on walks.

But the Peel District School Board said the school also "contacted the City of Brampton, notified Animal Control, and filed a report.”

“The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority,” they said.

When a city spokesperson was asked about the sighting at the school however, they could not confirm if they'd received the report.

Todd Carberry, Colton's dad, told CTV News Toronto he's seen at least six in the area.

"I've seen them on our front lawns, I've seen them in our backyards," he said. "We shouldn't have to worry about this in our communities."

Since the attack on Jada, the city has been conducting patrols.

"We're doing patrols every evening in that general area around the time when this incident occurred,” said Mike Mulick, manager of Brampton Animal Services.

Mulik said there are roughly 100 to 150 sightings of coyotes reported every month. The city has an interactive map online where residents can see where they've been spotted.

'Officials ask residents to make sure they don't leave food out for wildlife and to always keep dogs on a leash.

"Coyotes may see dogs, especially when they're off leash, as a potential threat or even be mistaken for a food source," said Mulik.

Vincent said Jada was a rescue and had been abused by a previous owner, so she couldn't use a leash.

"I tried for months to put her on a leash and the anxiety would just get worse," she said. "I started teaching her how to walk right beside me, and she was so obedient. She always waked beside me, she never went past me and she never went behind me."

Vincent has been visiting Brampton from New Brunswick for that last nine months to spend time with her sick father, who has Parkinson's and cancer.

She said she can't stay here any longer after what she's experienced.

"It doesn't matter what sidewalk I'm on, but this one I carry a stick," she said. "I'm always looking now because I'm terrified myself."