DALLAS -- For neighbors, the North Oak Cliff Greenbelt is an oasis just steps from their home. But something else has made a home here by the creek, just beyond the golf course, and Chamblee Ferguson saw it.
"I know coyotes are not supposed to be any bigger than 35, 40 pounds, but this guy looked like he could have been 45, maybe even 50!" Ferguson said.
He was driving home at 11 p.m. Saturday when he saw the animal in the street. They made eye contact, then the animal bolted back into the creek that runs through the greenbelt, Ferguson told us.
Neighbors call it the "super coyote," a coyote/wolf/dog mix. Or at least, that's what someone called it when they passed flyers warning about the animal around the neighborhood this week, leading residents to ask, is this a real thing?
"I'm sure the person that wrote this had really good intentions, but the reality is, this is hogwash," said Bonnie Bradshaw with 911 Wildlife, a local humane animal removal service.
"The maximum weight for coyotes in this part of the world is 35 pounds," she said. "But if somebody is startled, that animal can seem twice as big."
And neighbors have been startled, including Bill and Linda Neil, proud parents of their dapple-eyed Dachshund Lola, who met the beast last Friday morning.
Linda was on their patio while Lola walked through the backyard when the coyote attacked. Lola's lungs were punctured, and the Neills had to put her down.
Super or not, this coyote's getting bold and the couple is glad there's a warning.
"The wildlife was desperate. It was looking for food," Bill said. "We just don't like the menu."
The best advice is to never leave your pet's side while they're roaming outdoors, even in backyards. You never know what other four-legged beast may also be out there.