Coyote attacks small dog in Milton, but the dog - and owner - share some of the blame, police say

UPDATE: Dog was in its own yard when attacked, owner says.

Milton Police report a pet will recover from injuries involved in a tussle with a coyote around 4 a.m.:

We are in a time of year where female coyotes have given birth and are protective of young pups. We do believe the incident this am involved a female coyote. It occurred at about 400 am. The small dog that was bit was off leash and may have chased the coyote which exacerbated the encounter. We do ask once again as always, you need to keep your dog leashed, especially if you let it out at night. The coyotes who do live in Milton move about mostly at night.

At this point , there is no threat to the public.