A woman told police she sustained injuries from punching a coyote in the face Monday afternoon in Reading when it went after a friend’s dog.

Police were called to Avalon Road near Whitehall Lane around 3:40 p.m. and spoke with the woman, identified as Jessica Jones by The Boston Globe. She and her friend’s dog “encountered” a coyote while walking in the backyard of a home. Jones sustained scratches on one arm from the coyote; the dog was not injured, police said in a news release.

Roxy, a friend’s 12-year-old Mini Goldendoodle, got stuck in some brush, Jones told the Globe. That’s when the coyote appeared.


“I knew no one would forgive me if I let anything happen to this dog,” Jones told the Globe.

Jones had to receive a rabies shot following the encounter, the Globe reported.

Authorities believe Jones may have walked near a coyote den.

“Our early investigation indicates that this coyote was acting in defense of itself and its pups, and so we do not believe there is any threat to the public,” Deputy Chief David Clark said in the release. “We encourage residents to exercise caution if they’re walking in the area but emphasize that we don’t believe there is any cause for concern.”

Police contacted the state Department of Fish and Game to see if anything else should be done following the incident.

Coyotes are generally afraid of people and seeing one isn’t a “cause for concern,” according to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.