A Villager is mourning the loss of his “best friend,” after his seven-year-old Morkie was snatched by a coyote from his front yard.
Gene Ricca had taken Ben out at about 12:30 a.m. Monday before turning in for the night. It was their nighttime ritual to go out in the front yard of their Village of Belle Aire home just before bedtime.
Ricca’s home on Norfolk Avenue is on a cul-de-sac and backs up to Glenview Champions golf course.
A coyote about the size of a German Shepherd raced up and snatched Ben from Ricca’s front yard and darted off with him down the cart path and across the golf course.
The Morkie, a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a Maltese, was a small dog and tempting for a hungry coyote. But Ricca said he was surprised to see a coyote in his neighborhood.
“He couldn’t even yelp,” Ricca said. “It happened so fast.”
Ricca tried to give chase, but the coyote was gone in an instant.
“Ben was my best friend. I am heartbroken,” the native Long Islander said.
His dog’s body has not been recovered.
Encounters between people and coyotes in Florida are occurring more often, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
As coyotes become used to people, they may lose some fear of people, so sightings of coyotes during the day may increase. Coyotes also become more difficult to scare away if they lose their fear of people. But, like other wild animals, that tendency will vary from one coyote to another. Several coyote attacks on dogs and cats have been reported over the past few years in Florida. In some cases, pet owners were present at the time of the attack. However, FWC indicates no humans have been the target of attacks in Florida.
