Help Nala Recover from a Coyote Attack

Hi Everyone, it’s Brooke. If you know Michael or me, you know our angel Nala is our entire world.

On November 3rd, Nala (who weighs 10 pounds) was attacked by a roughly 70-pound coyote in the early afternoon.

We were walking through the woods as a family, as we do every day, and Nala was off leash, as she always is.

All of a sudden, when Nala was not too far from us, we heard her scream.

Michael and I quickly looked at each other and immediately and intuitively knew she had been attacked by a coyote.

We started running as fast as we could towards Nala, screaming her name, running through thorny vines, cutting up our hands and legs, rushing to save Nala….. but she was nowhere to be found.

For thirty nightmarish minutes, Michael and I ran through the forest screaming Nala’s name, looking for her, or any sign of her.

At one point Michael spotted the coyote and they even made eye contact, but we still did not know where in the world Nala was or what happened to her.

After frantically searching all throughout the woods and finding nothing, we did the only thing left to do: We got down on our knees and prayed and prayed and prayed.

We were beyond physically exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed — in a living nightmare — sitting on the floor of the forest catching our breath, preparing to continue the search.

We stood up once again, and all of a sudden Michael saw Nala 20 feet away, just standing there on the hiking path.

We screamed “Nala!!!!!!” and ran right over to her. She looked like she was in shock, so I told Michel to pick her up, and as he did, we immediately learned that Nala was badly injured, in severe pain, and could not tolerate being held for even one second.

At this point, Michael sustained injuries to his face and hand trying to carry Nala to safety, and was forced to place Nala back down to the ground.

We were on the ground with Nala and at a complete loss for what to do, so I called 911.

The first people to arrive on the scene let us know they were unable to treat animals, so we had to really advocate for Nala and ask them to help us in any other way they could, as time was very much of the essence and we had already lost precious time waiting for these people.

Help was not arriving…..

Nala was in severe pain and beginning to go into shock.

After a long while…a number of amazing police officers and firefighters arrived on the scene! They were able to arrange for an ATV and gurney to meet us on the hike. They helped put Nala onto a gurney, drove out of the woods to the car, and Michael drove us to the animal emergency room while I sat in the back of the car with Nala.

Nala was in shock, very cold, and shaking. She looked like she was floating in between worlds. I was singing to her and speaking to her the entire time. I made sure to be calm and loving with her, so she would not be impacted by the terror I was experiencing inside.

We finally arrived at the hospital an hour and a half after the coyote attack. The nurses met us out front and brought Nala inside for immediate assessment, care, and treatment.

It took a few hours to stabilize her, but…Nala survived!!!! She is alive!!!!! And she is doing amazing.

As you can imagine, however, the attack is requiring a great deal of medical attention, so Michael and I decided to very humbly ask for support, as Nala’s care is necessary, but expensive.

So far, Nala has needed three rounds of X-rays, lots of methadone and other medications, two nights in the hospital, support for her deep wounds from the coyote’s teeth that punctured her chest in many places, treatment for air in her chest cavity, bruised ribs, and more. Michael required medical attention for his wounds, as well.

Nala is a miracle, and it is truly a miracle that she was able to escape this huge coyote and its attack. Her off-leash days are behind her, but we have all been given another opportunity at being a beloved family together.

***Michael and I know these are intense and transformative times and everyone is moving through their own stuff, so please only contribute to Nala’s recovery if you are in a position to and feel a desire to - and if that’s the case, any amount helps. Truly. Every single dollar makes a difference!***

To you who read Nala’s story, we are so grateful for you and we wish you boundless love and miracles in your life.