A coyote attacked a fuzzy Maltese in the backyard of a Southern California home last week.

The intruder lunged at the 4-year-old dog, named Lexi, by the pool of the Chatsworth house and appeared to bite the pooch. Lexi was knocked backwards, but he recovered and scampered off to the safety of the doggy door with the coyote in hot pursuit.

"He ran back into the house through the doggy door and the coyote was trying to come in as well," Lexi's owner, Sandy Montrose, told KTLA Friday.

The scary canine-critter encounter was captured on the house's surveillance video.

Besides Lexi, Montrose has three other dogs. When her Rottweiler went outside, the coyote bolted rather than confront the much bigger dog.

According to a neighbor interviewed by KTLA, three dogs have been "taken and killed" by coyotes in the last few weeks.

Fortunately, Lexi was not injured.