It's been an emotional few days for Jessie Agnesi and her dog Marley.
"You just hear your dog cry, and it breaks your heart. I'm just thankful that he's alive," said Agnesi.
The 4-year-old Chihuahua was attacked by a coyote Sunday morning outside of the family's Avon home. Neighbor Robert Michalski was next door when it happened.
"I was walking up my driveway, but the woods are so thick there, you can't see over here. And I heard the yelp. And I knew that wasn't good, so I ran over here and yelled as loud as I could, and that's when the coyote let the dog go," said Michalski.
But Marley didn't get away unharmed.
"This right here is where it went through the skin, and now he has two drains there which will be coming out soon. He has a couple stitches here and here. Right here he has this stapled. This was an open wound and now it's stapled," said Agnesi.
There have been other reported attacks across the state. A dog in Tolland needed stitches after getting bitten, and people living in New Haven's East Shore neighborhood say coyotes have been going after cats.
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There are ways to keep your small animals safe. Put them on a lease when you take them out, or let them out in a fenced in area so that wild animals don't have access to them.
"We just want the public to be aware that they need to monitor their pets and supervise them when they're outside. That means especially in the early morning, in the late evening," said Beverly LaPlume, the Animal Control Officer for Avon and Canton.
Animal Control says it is normal for coyotes to be out all across the state, so people shouldn't be alarmed, but should be aware.
"I don't want this to happen to someone else's animal and them die," said Agnesi.
