Woman and Dog Chased by Coyotes at Debs Park

Anne Meyer, a resident of Montecito Circle, posted this alarming account on the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council listserv of being chased by four coyotes early Thursday morning:

“This morning my black lab and I went for our usual 6 a.m. run in Debs Park, just after dawn when it is no longer dark. We always head to the back circle (Rose Hills) behind the parking lot to do a few sprint laps before heading up the hill to the pond.

“When we were halfway around the circle, I noticed a large coyote (bigger than my lab) standing in the middle patch of grass looking at us. I hadn't seen it as it blends in with the grass. Usually they stay in the trees and don't bother us—I'll occasionally see their eyes from a distance.

“I tried to decide if I should continue around the circle or turn back where we just came from, since I was halfway around. As I looked behind us, I saw another large (not as big as the one in the middle) standing in the path where we just came from. Two more were emerging behind them.

“My dog did not bark or growl—just stood by my side. Behind us was a path I'd never taken off the circle. I turned slowly and went toward that path. They moved toward us. I began running and they chased us.

“I screamed HELP as we ran and they just kept following, getting closer, and were not bothered by the noise. I did not think we would get away. I would advise anyone else who runs in the park at dawn to take pepper spray and a knife, in case they run into the same situation.

“The pack was hungry and chasing us, I have never run so fast in my life. They chased us all the way up to the back entrance by Sinova Street on the Montecito Heights side, and I ran down Sinova Street to a house and stood on someone's porch until my boyfriend came to meet us and walk us back up the hill to Montecito Circle, where we live.”