Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Richard Salit
Journal staff writer

A Prudence Island mother said today that a coyote attacked her 7-year-old daughter in their backyard and might have dragged her off into the woods if their family dog hadn't fought off the wild animal and saved her from harm.

If accurate -- no adults actually witnessed the incident and it remains under investigation -- it would be the first known attack on a human in Rhode Island since coyotes first arrived here nearly 50 years ago, according to Charles Brown, principal wildlife biologist.

"It's an extremely rare occurrence," he said. "We've never had a case like this."

Denise Allard said that coyotes have been seen with increasing frequency the past couple of years on the sparsely-populated island off Portsmouth in the middle of Narragansett Bay. On Dec. 30, her daughter, Lauren, went to play outside with Kelly, their yellow Labrador, just as it was getting dark.

When Allard went out to check on her daughter, at about 4:15, "I heard the dog barking frantically and Lauren screaming," Allard said.

Her daughter had gone across a narrow street behind her house to a wall that borders state-owned woods. Now, she was hysterical and running home with Kelly.

The girl said that a dog by the wall had suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her arm with its mouth. The animal was tugging on her until Kelly jumped into the fray. The girl thought Kelly bit the other animal and that Kelly might have been bit, too.

Allard, who hunts deer with a crossbow and has seen coyotes lurking in her neighborhood, immediately figured it was no dog that attacked Lauren. She's confident it was a coyote.

Once inside, Allard could find no bite marks on Lauren's arm. And Kelly, who was up to date on her vaccinations, only seemed to have a slight mark under her chin.

Allard reported the incident to the Portsmouth Police and its animal control officer. The state Department of Environmental Management was also notified. Volunteer firefighters tended to her daughter, but Allard declined having the Portsmouth paramedics visit by boat. Instead, she consulted with Lauren's physician.

The state recommends that any dog that has been vaccinated immediately receive a booster shot and be quarantined at home for 45 days, according to DEM spokeswoman Gail Mastrati, speaking on behalf of the state veterinarian. Allard said her veterinarian directed her to quarantine Kelly and not to bring the dog in for a booster until afterward.

 Tags  coyote attack DEM Narragansett Bay Portsmouth Prudence Island

Comments

joyce said:

Sounds like she is just looking for an excuse to kill more animals. I find it hard to believe there'd be no bite marks.

Link | January 7, 2009 5:43 PM
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Uley said:

I'm not buying it. I think it is more likely a plain old dog scared this little girl. I really hope people don't go crazy killing coyotes out of fear now over this. The girl was probably just scared by a dog that she tried to pet and was afraid to tell her mom the truth. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but coyotes have a bad enough rap as it is. We don't need to start rumors about them attacking little girls and causing undue panic.

Link | January 7, 2009 6:19 PM
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Seth said:

Nice Mom, letting a 7 year old outdoors....close to dark....close to the woods... with no supervision. Oh sorry, she was being watched by her yellow dog.
CRAZY !!!

Link | January 8, 2009 6:50 AM
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trish said:

Seth, it's most unfortunate your mother did not leave you on the side of the road after dark. When did it become child abuse to let our children play outside at 4:15pm. Give me a break!!!

Link | January 8, 2009 12:56 PM
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