Coyote Tries To Attack Sleeping Dog at Home but It Backfires in Viral Clip

A dog called Ziggy has gone viral all over the internet after a video of her defending her home from a coyote attack went viral on social media last week.

In the viral clip, shared on TikTok last Saturday by the dog's owner, under the username Dana.rambo, Ziggy can be seen sleeping on a camping bed outside her front door as a coyote approaches, trying to attack the dog in her sleep.

Upon noticing the coyote, Ziggy immediately snaps back at him, scaring the wild animal away from her porch and back into the streets.

dog fighting off coyote goes viral
Stock image of a coyote. A dog scaring a coyote away from her porch has gone viral. Getty Images

The footage, captured by the owners' front door camera, comes with a caption that says: "Coyote tried to attack Ziggy while she napped at the front door." Followed by: "This started happening a few times a month."

An encounter with a coyote in an urban or suburban area is quite a rare event and is usually short and harmless, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Coyotes usually feel scared by human presence and run away when they see us.

A coyote who doesn't run away when seeing humans has likely become "habituated" to people who have fed them or keep feeding them, and when coyotes start depending on humans for food, they can exhibit aggressive behavior toward us.

"Often, coyote attacks are preventable by modifying human behavior and educating people about ways to prevent habituation," the Humane Society website states.

The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 6.6 million views and 540,100 likes on the platform.

One user, Marajino, commented: "Definitely the distraction for the pack." And Willow the WiLd Whoodle! said: "Correction: Small Coyote Attempts to Nibble on Large Patio Sausage."

DianeNikprel wrote: "I feel like if I saw a coyote I'd think it was a dog and try to rescue it." And Ded joked: "That was a coyote boop." Bre Hendricks added: "He just wants to play..."

Another user, 1234j56782, commented: "Ziggy like, you pick the wrong house, my guy." And Paisley The Chocolate Lab said: "Ziggy was ready to throw paws." moe_1789 added: "Hopefully, your dog doesn't go chasing as that coyote could be just trying to get him to the pack of coyotes."

Karlie wrote: "Ziggys like oh hell no you did not just try that." And Ben Butler said: "That was a very vicious attack."

Newsweek reached out to Dana.rambo for comment via Instagram. We could not verify the details of the case.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more

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