Video: Man Grabs Coyote by Tail, Throws It in Dumpster

Dog owners would do anything for their furry friends; just ask South Carolina man Timothy Snipe. He was walking with his pet chihuahua Roxie one day when a coyote approached them, and when he realized Roxie was in greater danger than he was, he sprang into action. 

“The coyote ran up, and instead of coming toward me, she ran up toward the coyote,” the Mount Pleasant, SC resident recounted to Queen City News. The wild canine jumped on Snipe and bit his leg and his survival skills took over. “I wrestled it down,” he said of his defense against the coyote. “I choked him out.” Footage shows Snipe grabbing the coyote by the tail and putting it in a dumpster until wildlife officials arrived. 

Snipe’s thought process in the moment was simple: he’s much bigger than a tiny chihuahua and would’ve had an easier time taking on a coyote with his bare hands. “I would have been all right, even if I had gotten bit and got rabies or something, I know I could have gotten treated for it,” he said. “But if she had gotten bit, it was over.”

Snipe went to the hospital and received nine rabies shots after the encounter. His instincts saved Roxie’s life, but for him, he was just defending one of his family members. “Once you get a pet, you know, they automatically are part of the family, so this is my girl. This is our girl,” he said. 

Thankfully, Snipe shouldn’t have to worry if he and Roxie cross paths with a coyote again, as Roxie now wears a bite-proof harness complete with metal spikes.