Katy woman says her dog was killed by pack of coyotes near her home

FOX 26’s Natalie Hee shares more from a woman in Fort Bend County, who claims coyotes killed her dog.

KATY, Texas - A Katy woman says her dog was killed by a pack of coyotes near her home over Labor Day weekend.

It happened around 10:30 AM Sunday on the 28000 block of Rose Lane.

Debbie Conaway said she and her husband were heading out of town to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they spotted a pack of six coyotes near their son's French bulldog, Bentley.

"I heard my dogs barking so I walked to the side of the fence and saw the coyotes in the yard," Conoway said. "Really big, German Shepherd-sized, really big coyotes. They had my dog, so my husband scared them off but by the time he got there, it was too late."

Conoway said Bentley is now buried in their backyard by her son's tree. The family planted the tree when her son, Zac, went off to college.

"The coyotes are big, so your only defense is keeping your dog with you," Conoway said.

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Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Constable Chad Norvell says contrary to popular belief, coyotes are not nocturnal animals and can be spotted just about anywhere in the greater Houston area looking for food. He believes new construction in the area has pushed the coyotes closer towards people's homes.

"Generally, if a coyote sees you, they’re going to be scared of you," Norvell said. "If you make a lot of noise, wave your arms, throw things near them; don’t hit them to where they think they have to defend themselves but things around them that might scare them off."

On Tuesday, cell phone video captured 10 miles away in Pecan Grove by Elise Renee shows a coyote clearing a 6-foot fence in her backyard then jumping onto the roof of her neighbor’s shack.

Norvell recommends keeping a close eye on pets, especially smaller breeds.

"They’re generally hunting rabbits, rodents, small animals, squirrels. They’re very opportunistic; whatever they can find to feed themselves, feed their pack, feed their offspring. They’ll take just about anything," Norvell said. "Coyotes are just a normal part of our landscape. Generally, if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. We don’t want to feed them or do anything else to keep them in the area or get them to associate humans with food."

Conoway said her two larger dogs were fortunately not harmed after confronting the coyotes.