South Carolina native Timothy Snipe was enjoying some fresh air with his chihuahua, Roxie, when a coyote approached and caused havoc. Roxie ran at the coyote to protect her owner, but Snipe stepped in and saved the day.
CCTV footage of the scene was posted to Inside Edition’s YouTube channel on Tuesday and has already received over 1.5 million views.
In an interview with Queen City News, Snipe described the scene. He said, “She started barking, and I was like, ‘What is she barking at?’”
“The coyote ran up, and instead of coming toward me, she ran up toward the coyote,” he explained. The coyote jumped on Snipe and bit his leg. He told the Queen City News reporter, “I wrestled it down. I choked him out.”
Snipe explained his reasoning for taking a coyote attack for his dog. He said, “And 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 added, “But if she had gotten bit, it was over.”
Roxie the chihuahua is more than just a pet to Snipe. “Once you get a pet, you know, they automatically are part of the family, so this my girl. This our girl,” he said.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control showed up to collect the coyote, and Snipe went to the doctor and received nine rabies shots, according to The Messenger.
To make sure Roxie is safe from future coyote attacks, Snipe bought a coyote protection harness for her with metal spikes on the back and neck.