Owner hopes loss of pet brings change

Oliver On Friday night, Oct. 12, a coyote came into our yard and killed our 1½-year-old dog, a Coton de Tulear named Oliver, who we had rescued last January.

A neighbor had heard something, come out of his house and scared a coyote away by shining a flashlight at it. The neighbor stayed in his car, and every time the animal returned he flashed the car lights, and it went away. He called animal control but was told they do not send anyone out. He tried to keep the coyote at bay for several hours, but finally he had to go inside to sleep.

When we came down our street that night, we saw the coyote jump out of our yard.

Coyotes are very hungry and are dangerous. We live in Oak Park between Conifer and Tamarind, not on a hillside, and sometimes see coyotes out at 10 a.m. walking toward Mae Boyar Park and Brookside Elementary School.

I am hoping that something good can come out of our loss of Ollie. We need to petition Ventura County council members to write legislation to protect our neighborhoods from wildlife. It isn't safe for our children to play in their own yards. Something should be done to keep our children and pets safe.

Story submitted by Dodi Rubenstein