BRANDON, Fla. — An elderly Seffner woman is recovering at Brandon Regional Hospital after what she believes was a coyote attacked her and her dog Wednesday night.
- Attack reportedly took place on King William Circle in Seffner
- 'Very big dog' took victim's dog away in its mouth
- Neighborhood where attack took place close to Seffner Elementary
- More Hillsborough County stories
Olga Colon, 83, was out walking her chihuahua on King William Circle around 6:30 p.m. when she said a "very big dog" came out of nowhere and attacked her dog.
She said she grabbed her pet, and then she the large animal attacked her, knocking her to the ground and ripping the chihuahua out of her hands.
She said the attack left her index finger broken and dangling. She also had cuts on her legs and sore shoulders from the fall.
Drove to get help
After the attack, Colon knocked on a door in the neighborhood looking for help. However, no one answered, so she drove to her niece’s house in Valrico.
“She’s like, 'I have an emergency,' and she took out this wrap, and her finger is hanging and she’s bleeding everywhere and she’s crying,” said Marilyn Camacho, Colon’s niece.
Camacho said she showed Colon a picture of a coyote, and her aunt told her the picture looked like what attacked her, but the animal that attacked her was bigger.
Colon recalled the coyote walking away with her chihuahua in its mouth.
Neighborhood full of children
Camacho believes her aunt’s big winter coat saved her from more injuries. She wanted to spread the word about the incident so no one else gets hurt.
Colon’s neighborhood is full of kids, just on the other side of Seffner Elementary.
“Everybody needs to be on the lookout," Camacho explained. "Today was a chihuahua that died and a finger that was almost lost, or, you know, I don’t know what's going to happen."
"But tomorrow it could somebody’s kids or somebody else’s pet that might not come back,” she went on.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has staff looking into the incident. Spokeswoman Melody Kilborn said coyotes rarely pose a threat to humans.
However, several coyote attacks on dogs and cats have been reported over the past few years in Florida. Coyotes have been sighted in every county in the state.
While the family hopes this coyote will be put down before it hurts anyone else, Kilborn said these cases are handled on a case by case basis.
Residents who witness unusual coyote behavior are asked to report it via their hotline at 813-558-5050, ext. 7.