10-pound pooch saves brother-pup, chases off coyote in Mission Viejo (video)

Backyard surveillance cameras captured the tense moments when a small Maltese dog saved his little brother by chasing off a coyote that had gotten the younger dog in its mouth.  

The owners of the pooches, David and Erin Mascaluso, say the incident happened earlier this month after a coyote jumped in their backyard one evening. Their hero dog, 11-year-old Vinny, who weighs all of 10 pounds and has three teeth, was up for the challenge, they said.  

“He’s always been a scrapper, oh yeah,” David told KTLA. “The first day we brought him home, I went and I pet him and he started growling at me.”  

In video of the incident, the coyote can be seen jumping the fence and chasing Vinny’s brother, Harley, into a corner. After Harley is heard yelping, Vinny springs into action from the other side of the yard and chases the coyote off as Harley runs the other direction.  

“You know, a little 10 pound, three tooth dog…and 11 years old chased off a 60-pound coyote,” David said. “So, it’s pretty amazing. He did a great job. He’s our little hero.”  

Based on Harley’s injuries, Vinny showed up at just the right time, especially since a close look at the video revealed a second coyote just on the other side of the fence during the attack. 

According to Erin, Harley suffered two lacerations on his upper back and one on his chest during the attack that had to be stitched up. The little pooch also had bite marks and abrasions on his chest.  

  • Dog chases off coyote in Mission Viejo
  • Dog chases off coyote in Mission Viejo

While Harley appears to be recovering nicely, the Macaluso’s say Harley is a little bit clingier than before the attack, which is to be expected, but both David and Erin are hoping to get the message out to people that everyone should be taking measures to protect their pets from coyotes.  

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