TULSA, Okla. - “We hear the Coyotes killing things at night. You can hear it. It's very loud. It's very horrifying,” said south Tulsa resident and dog owner Nicole Donohue. “I'm definitely not the only one who's had this experience, and I'm not the only one who's trying to get help either and not gotten any luck.”

Luck was certainly on Pistachio’s side on a Saturday afternoon on March 18. 

Donohue has two dogs of her own and fosters dogs with Skiatook Paws and Claws. She is currently fostering the 10-week-old puppy and says that she recently survived a brutal coyote attack on a Saturday afternoon on March 18. 

“I just never would have thought that a coyote would be bold enough to get into my yard. But clearly, they're not scared of how big your pets are. They're not scared of you. I have a privacy fence primarily through the yard. I've got a part that's chain link. They can clearly jump in. One of these coyotes is around the same size as my 100-pound dog and so he could very easily jump a fence, grab a puppy or cat,” said Donohue. 

Which is exactly what Donohue believes happened. 

“My two big dogs and my two foster pups were outside. I was standing at my back door watching when all of a sudden I didn’t see the littlest pup anymore,” said Donohue.

She ran into the yard and began frantically searching everywhere for Pistachio. 

Donohue lives near South Mingo Road and East 31st Street.  Her home backs up to the creek.  She says she’s been seeing coyote sightings in the area since Aug. and Sept. of last year. 

She wondered if a coyote may have gotten to him so she ventured over to the creek area on the other side of the fence. 

Donohue says that there is a damaged area of her neighbor's fence that leads into their backyard.

“I immediately thought that must be where she is, in my neighbor's backyard,” said Donohue. “I got through where their fence is broken and found her and she was laying on the ground unconscious, bleeding and had all of these wounds. I thought she was dead.”

Donohue immediately scooped Pistachio up into her arms. 

“She immediately squealed and was alive. And I'm balling, of course,” said Donohue. 

Pistachio was rushed to the emergency vet which happened to be only one mile away. 

Donohue’s foster puppy is back home now recovering. 

“I saw her lying in a pool of her blood, unconscious. I really thought that she was a goner. She got extremely lucky, extremely lucky that her neck didn't break when the coyote got her. She did not have any permanent damage to her lungs or her neck or even have a broken jaw. She's starting to be her spunky little self again,” said Donohue. 

Donohue has since secured the areas of her back fence that could be vulnerable to coyotes getting into her yard. 

But, Donohue says more needs to be done about the coyotes running wild in Tulsa's suburban neighborhoods. 

“There's dozens, dozens of people talking about the coyotes in the area. I did have a lady message me on Next Door today saying that one of her dogs got attacked as well and she lives in the surrounding area and so I definitely know that I'm not the only one,” said Donohue. They're not even on my land. They're just threatening my animals and my land and all of my neighbors around me too. We hear the Coyotes killing things at night. You can hear it. It's very loud. It's very horrifying.

Derek Kamm lives across the creek behind Donohues house and said he recently captured what sounded like coyotes most likely devouring their prey on a video he recorded. 

Donohue says she’s reached out to the Game Warden, animal rescues, wildlife rescue, and The City of Tulsa. She even found a company that quoted her $3,500 to remove a coyote from her land. 

A Game Warden with the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation says that coyotes usually travel in packs of two to four, and also added that he hasn’t noticed a rise in attacks lately in south Tulsa neighborhoods. He did encourage pet owners to keep an eye out on their pets to make sure they are safe, as coyotes are known to prey on smaller animals.

Brandon Fulton is another Game Warden from Collinsville. He said killing a coyote will only end up repopulating the area with more coyotes. Fulton doesn't think coyotes are necessarily getting bold, but less fearful as civilization begins to build in what was once their habitat. 

On the City of Tulsa website it states that “the Tulsa Animal Shelter does not handle wildlife calls.” If you see a coyote that appears aggressive, the City says to contact a Tulsa County Game Warden with the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation.

The city also advises residents to supervise their pets, remove food that may attract wildlife, remove possible shelters that the coyotes could use as a den and “respond appropriately during any encounters.”

“Nobody’s taking responsibility for it. I've been so disappointed,” said Donohue. ‘I talked to the game warden yesterday and he was telling me, ‘Well, I could, I could give you traps, but you would have to trap.’ What am I going to do with a live coyote in a trap?” 

Donohue says she really wants the authorities in her county to take ownership of this issue or at least offer more support. 

As far as her foster puppy, Pistachio, it seems as if this horrific experience has bonded them both. 

“There's a good chance that she's probably going to be living here forever. You don't find a puppy half dead and you're begging it to live and then be able to get rid of it. I think she's probably going to be a family member forever now,” said Donohue.