There are limited options for residents in LaSalle to protect themselves from coyotes.

CTV Windsor shared a story Thursday about four-year-old Shih Tzu poodle 'Moka' that was attacked by a coyote around 9:30 a.m. on June 23 at their home on Bouffard Road.

‘Moka’ lost an eye in the attack and needed close to $1,500 in vet bills.

The dog’s owner, Jeff Nemeth, claims the same coyote has come back several times, so he wants to warn other LaSalle pet owners to be aware.

“People have to know don’t even leave your dog outside even for a minute,” he says. “You can’t be too safe.”

Councillor Jeff Renaud tells CTV News the town recently held a meeting with police and officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources to review what can be done.

Renaud says residents can hire their own trappers but the municipality can only hire trappers for municipal land.

There is also a town bylaw that restricts hunting.

Town of LaSalle By-law # 5304 states that no person shall discharge any gun or other firearm, air-gun, spring gun, cross bow, long-bow, or any class or type thereof within the limits of the Town of LaSalle.

A report will be sent to council to look at what bylaw amendments could be made to help protect residents and their pets from coyotes.

This is the second coyote attack on a dog in LaSalle in the month of June, and it happened on the same Bouffard Road.

A LaSalle woman says her Yorkie-Poo dog was also attacked and killed by a coyote on June 4.

Nearby residents say there was a third attack by a coyote last month that did not get media attention.

Windsor-Essex County Humane Society executive director Melanie Coulter tells CTV News trapping isn’t going to be a long term solution, any more than hunting the coyotes.

“Relocating coyotes is difficult to accomplish and not realistic because there aren’t many areas that are willing to have coyotes relocated there even if they could be trapped,” says Coulter. “Plus, trapping and removing some coyotes just opens up the landscape for other coyotes to move in or allows neighbouring coyotes to have larger litters and replenish the population that way.”

Coulter says the best approach is learning to live with coyotes in the environment, along with other urban wildlife.

The humane society provides some education on urban coyotes on their web site.