GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. -- Michael Thomasula isn't letting his eight-week-old puppy Ginger out of his sight, especially after what happened to her sister, Bella.
"I brought the puppy out to go to the bathroom and the coyote must've been crawling, coming, sneaking up and he just pounced on the baby, took her and took off," said Thomasula.
Thomasula chased the coyote, but it was too late.
“I ran right out of my shoes running in the back on my hands and knees back there. It was terrible, terrible," said Thomasula.
Thomasula's terrible encounter is just one of dozens of coyote sightings over the last few years. Michael Mieszczek saw a pack of coyotes two years ago.
"There was an L-turn, it was dark, there was snow and I saw what I thought was a small group of deer, four or five deer but when I got much closer, the deer were only knee-high. They were coyotes," said Mieszczek.
The Grand Island Animal Hospital has seen a spike in coyote-related emergencies involving small cats and dogs. They advise residents to not leave pets outside unattended, keep cats indoors, and walk pets on a short leash, especially at night, as coyotes are nocturnal.
The Grand Island Town Board in July approved a trapping law that could help control the coyote population. Mieszczek agrees with the law.
"Trapping works. The only concern people have is, you put the trap there and your doggie or something else gets caught, then you have an issue," said Mieszczek.
Thomasula says, in the meantime, he's not letting Ginger out of his sight.