According to Amanda Bailey, she was on vacation when she got a call that a coyote had killed her shih tzu. Her husband saw the attack happen, she said.

Bailey said Pebbles, the smallest of her five dogs, usually stayed outside in her fenced-in yard a little longer than the rest of her pets. That's when the coyote jumped the fence and attacked, she said.

"When he went to go get her, the coyote had her in her mouth," Bailey said.

Her husband rushed the dog to an animal hospital in Pittsburgh, where, Bailey said, "the humane thing to do was to put her down."

According to West Virginia's Wildlife Services Director Chris Croson, there is no way to tell if the population of coyotes is growing or where coyotes live, since the animals are not tracked. However, he said if coyotes are attacking pets, it could eventually lead to them attacking humans -- something Bailey's been concerned about since the attack happened.

"I want somebody to come in, and maybe they can capture them, catch them, trap them -- I don't know what you'd do. And take them someplace else -- in the wilderness -- not in my city, because I'm afraid even my son might get hurt in the yard," Bailey said.

If aggressive coyotes continue to be a problem in the area, Croson said Wildlife Services could possibly come into the area and remove the animals.