West Kelowna dog mauled by coyote in second brutal attack of the week

WEST KELOWNA – He’s going to be all right but he’s not out of the woods yet. On Friday, Beanie, a 10-year-old Pomeranian Chihuahua mix was attacked by a coyote.

Around 2:30pm Kerrianne Bouchard and her kids were saying bye to friends outside their West Kelowna home. When they went back inside the house, they noticed Beanie was missing. Moments later, a man appeared at the door holding their dog.

“He said he was driving down the street and came upon a coyote that was attacking our dog, somehow the coyote took off and Beanie ran home,” says Bouchard.

She had no idea who the man was.

“I didn’t get to thank this man because he left right away, I didn’t get much detail,” Bouchard adds.

“He was covered in dirt and blood. It was his neck that was very bad and bloody. You could see some flesh just hanging there, he was completely in shock and stunned,” she says.

Bouchard’s husband rushed the dog to the vet and he immediately went into surgery but the Doctor said he had a 50-50 chance of surviving.

“He had major skin lacerations. Basically, the coyote attacked his neck and the fear was damage to major blood vessels,” says veterinarian Dr. Moshe Oz, from Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital.

Beanie survived the surgery and is recovering. He will need medication and constant check-ups for the next few weeks. He is back at home with his owners, all stitched up and with drainage tubes, to prevent infections.

“He’s quiet. He just wants to sleep but whenever I leave the room or my husband leaves, he wants to follow you. But you can tell he just wants comfort, he wants to be near somebody. He’s moving but he’s a little woozy from the medication,” says Bouchard.

This is the second vicious attack in West Kelowna in the past week. Last weekend, a cougar mauled a Border Collie in McDougall Rim Trail.

“It’s quiet early in the season, usually I have these further along. I think the wild animals are hungrier this year. They attack small dogs. But that attack last week was a medium sized-dog,” says Dr. Oz.

While animal attacks are common, Dr. Oz recommends pet owners always keep their animals close and in sight.

Both dogs are expected to make full recoveries.

~ By Emily Lazatin