HILLSBOROUGH, Fla. -- Fish and Wildlife officials have visited homes in the Seffner, North Brandon area after a report of an elderly woman and her dog being attacked by a coyote.

  • FWC issues warning after possible coyote attack
  • Woman says coyote attack her and killed her dog
  • FWC says most coyote attack happen at night 

They haven't confirmed a coyote was behind the attack but are treating it as such.

Olga Colon described her attacker as a very large dog, but after seeing a picture of a coyote, she said it looked very similar.

Wildlife agents took her coat in for evidence to determine what attacked her.

The incident happened on King William Circle, just north of Brandon.

"I was just a little bit surprised," said Marilyn Lopez, one of Colon's neighbors. "I didn't think they'd get this close to people."

Colon didn't think so either.  She was walking her dog Wednesday evening when she said a coyote attacked her and killed her Chihuahua. The attack landed her in the hospital with bruises and a finger injury so bad surgeons had to pin it back together.

Some neighbors are stunned, others not so much.

"It's a possibility that can happen because there's all types of creature here around nighttime. You see raccoons, you see possums," said Juan Martinez, another neighbor.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission put up a sign at the nearby fire station warning people of coyotes. Wildlife biologists also knocked on doors in the neighborhood, and told people to keep a close eye on their pets and to avoid feeding wildlife.

Lopez said wildlife agents stopped by her home.

"They came and they wanted to look at our surveillance [video] but it didn't show anything," Lopez said.

Wildlife officials said coyotes live in every county in Florida and rarely pose a threat to humans. However, they've been known to prey on domestic cats and small dogs. Most coyote attacks on pets occur at night or at dusk and dawn. The FWC advises people to avoid letting pets roam freely and to keep cats indoors and small dogs on a short leash.

Since June, FWC reports receiving 52 calls about coyotes in Hillsborough County, 12 of those from people living within five miles of this incident.

Residents are encouraged to report any unusual coyote behavior by calling FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.