KIRKLAND, Wash. — A Redmond woman is sharing her story of fending off an aggressive coyote in Kirkland earlier this month.
Debb Young says she did everything she could to protect her animals from the coyote at Bridle Trails State Park.
Young says she was riding her horse — while her goddaughter walked her golden retriever on a leash — when the coyote started stalking them and going after her dog.
“I drove my horse into it to try to get it away from her, probably six or seven times, and told my goddaughter to try to get her away,” said Young.
She says her goddaughter safely got away with the dog, down to the parking lot.
But the coyote wouldn’t give up — and went after the 1,100-pound horse.
“The coyote decides to just completely run and charges straight into his legs and that’s when I jumped off,” said Young.
Young says after 45 minutes of fighting off the coyote, two other women came along to help save the day.
“They saw it and they came up behind him and I said ‘Could you please help us walk down with us, go behind my horse,’ I was there trying to fend him off for 45 minutes alone. Had they not come and help, I don’t know what it would have been,” said Young.
Meanwhile, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife tells KIRO 7 that a coyote was killed last week after people were attacked in the Bellevue area. The coyote tested negative for rabies but had dog food in its stomach, suggesting people may have fed the coyote.
Authorities have warned that may be a key reason why coyotes appear to be getting more aggressive with people.
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