OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – Neighbors in an Oakland Park community say they are scared for their children and pets after coyotes have been spotted roaming around an abandoned golf course just feet away from their homes.
"It's a concern and a safety hazard for neighborhood children," Michael DeSantis said.
The latest sighting occurred Wednesday morning.
"I started seeing them about six months ago, just out in the field. It got to be a serious problem when my dog was attacked," DeSantis said.
DeSantis lives in the Oak Tree community, and said a coyote got the best of his small dog, Lucy, back in July.
"She just got through the gate and we heard yipping and we yelled (and) the coyote dropped her. She got five puncture wounds, two fractured ribs. Very, very, scary scene," DeSantis said.
While Lucy survived the attack, other neighbors are now taking precautions.
"We don't let the dog out at night, and if we do take her out at night, then she's on a leash, closely guarded," neighbor George Braeunig said.
And with coyotes now in the middle of mating season, neighbors are worried the problem will only get worse if no action is taken.
"We contacted the county and the city, and they wouldn't come out unless it bit a child. And I'm like, 'It's too late for that,'" DeSantis said. "So we've discussed it with the owners of the golf course, and I believe they're going to do some type of trapping."