An 84-year-old woman in a northwest Chicago suburb is being called a hero after rescuing a dog from a pack of wild coyotes on Friday.
Dolores "Dolly" Jefferson says she was getting her morning coffee when she heard noises coming from behind her Bensenville home.
She walked out back to find her neighbor's dog, Roxie, surrounded by five coyotes.
"All I could remember, my son told me to yell, make a lot of noise if you see one, and that's what I did," Jefferson said.
One of the coyotes had Roxie, a 26-pound Egyptian fairhound, by her head.
"He was huge. He was as big as any big German shepherd I've ever seen," Jefferson said. "He turned around, looked at me, and Roxie got farther away from him."
Roxie was checked out by a vet and is expected to make a full recovery.
The dog's owner, Rich Parent, feels indebted to his neighbor and bought her a bullhorn in case she sees more coyotes in the future.
"Here's this lady pushing 85 years old, and she's my hero," Parent said.
In addition to making loud noises, which intimidate coyotes, wildlife experts say you should also keep your dog on a leash.
