I mean, it was definitely a terrifying situation for a four-year-old. I have a nephew who is the same age, so I can only imagine how scary it must have been for her family.
Thankfully, she is okay. When we arrived at that area, there were many families enjoying the weather, probably because it was Veteran’s Day and kids didn’t have school.
The girl’s dad told me that he even warned some of his neighbors right after it happened, knowing that there would be a lot of children out and about. Blair is four years old, and her family shared a photo with us showing her smiling face even though she had to wait to get stitches. The coyote that attacked her was tracked down and killed. However, Arizona Game and Fish will need to compare DNA from the animal with the girl’s clothing to confirm that it is the same coyote.
Her dad mentioned that she had to get stitches and rabies shots just to be safe. That was the only time she cried today.
Everything happened so quickly. My nine-year-old was in hysterics, but my four-year-old walked in and calmly said, “I got bit by a dangerous animal.” I didn’t believe her at first because she was so calm about it. However, my nine-year-old’s reaction made me check, and there was indeed a bite mark on her hip. I have a brother who’s a veterinarian, so I called him for advice.
He said we needed to take her to the ER. Neighbors believe they had seen this coyote in the area over the past week, and they mentioned that it had been aggressive. It even chased one man, who had to run and jump over his fence to stay safe. Arizona Game and Fish, however, informed us that they hadn’t received any reports about an aggressive coyote until today.
Another nearby neighbor said that moments after Blair was bitten, he came face to face with the coyote. If it weren’t for a jogger, he might have been the next victim.
He had been warned by someone who was jogging nearby. The news spread quickly around the neighborhood, and many people were on the lookout to help track down the animal. It was eventually shot and killed and will be tested for rabies.
Reporting live from Mesa, I’m Alexis Dominguez for Arizona’s family..
