Dear Editor: 

I'm writing so hopefully you can alert the city -- my dog was viciously killed by a coyote this morning. We live on the corner of Florence and La Reina. This was my Facebook post:

"I'm writing this only to warn those in our community. Maggie, our dog of nearly 16 years, was viciously killed by a coyote this morning around 3:30 a.m.

"Although our dogs were inside, they had the liberty of going outside as they wish. Maggie knew how to open the door (not kidding). She would open it to go outside with our other dog (Max) so they could go to the restroom. We didn't leave food outside and we have brick walls encompassing our entire property.

"This happened extremely fast.

"Maggie was given to me by a U.S. Marine who was being deployed to Afghanistan during 9/11. He wanted Maggie to be in a loving home with a big yard since she was such an active dog. I promised that he could come see her after he returned... he never did. They're finally together now once again.

"We are currently figuring out how to protect our home even more. Please be vigilant especially with your loved ones. Coyotes can dig their way under fences, they can jump walls, they're quiet and swift, and they're pretty fearless. We are located in Downey on Florence.

Maggie put up a good fight. We will miss her terribly. We are all extremely heartbroken (especially my mom)."

Thank you.

Michelle Mac-Lean
Downey