Mississauga man attacked by coyote while walking his dog

A Mississauga man is warning people about coyotes following an attack while he was out walking his dog.

“[The coyote] was actually trying to go after her, which was a little disturbing,” Alvaro Furtado told CTV News Wednesday, recalling the scary incident.

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Furtado said he was out with his five-year-old Jindo named Vixan in the area of Queensway East and Cliff Road around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday when the coyote slammed into his leg.

“I looked down and there was this grey, brown mass. It wasn’t snarling. It wasn’t making a sound, but it was trying to get to her, and then she kept pulling really hard, and she got free.”

In the chaos of the moment, Furtado lost hold of Vixan’s leash and said the coyote was trying to get in between his legs.

“I was wearing hiking boots at the time, and I ended up kicking it and punching it at the same time and then looked over cause there was a car, and then it was gone.”

Alvaro Furtado and his dog Vixan pose for a photo in Mississauga on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (CTV News/Beth Macdonell)

The fear of coyotes is very real in this pocket of Mississauga.

“It is scary, very scary when you see them because they are very large,” said one woman.

“I think the city should relocate them from the residential area,” said another man.

Parathan Mohanarajan is an animal services public education officer with City of Mississauga. He said the best way to deal with a coyote is to make your body big and make lots of noise.

“Stop, focus on the coyote, and you’re going to get loud,” he said.

Mohanarajan said the number of attacks isn’t up, but the number of people feeding wild animals is, and people should stop.

“If someone is feeding them, they may act aggressively, and that’s when the negative issues can occur, unfortunately.”

Other safety tips include keeping dogs on their leashes and avoiding walks at dusk and dark.

Furtado is thankful he and Vixan are okay and wants to warn others to watch out.

“She’s like a child almost. We’ve had her for five years, and we’ve become quite fond of her,” he said. “

It would be absolutely horrific if something happened to her.”

Furtado doesn’t plan to walk Vixan when it’s dark anymore and said the family will take her to the vet to ensure she doesn’t need a rabies shot.