GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. \u2014 A Gwinnett County man is bandaged up after a coyote viciously attacked him in his front yard. <\/p>\n
Jim Brown was one of three people attacked by coyotes in two days in the same neighborhood off Braselton Highway.<\/p>\n
He said he took his 16-year-old Shih Tzu named Gigi out for a walk at about 6 a.m. Saturday. They were standing in the front yard, right next to the driveway along Wyncliff Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd five feet away, there\u2019s a coyote, right there,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd before I could even do anything, it\u2019s all over me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown grabbed the dog in his left arm and tried to fend off the coyote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stuck my leg out, and it knocked me over,\u201d he said, with the animal biting him \u201cprofusely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess adrenaline kicked in, and I did the best I could and kicked it and kind of stood back for a minute,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I was able to stand up and it leaped at me again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yelling as loud as he could, Brown carried the dog back into the house where his wife was hysterical.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was pandemonium when it got back into the house,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The dog was not hurt, but Brown spent more than five hours in the hospital where his deep wounds were bandaged and he received antibodies, a tetanus shot and the first of four rabies shots.<\/p>\n
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The three attacks happened Friday and Saturday in the Wynfield Point subdivision. In two of the attacks, the victims were with dogs. <\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Gwinnett County officials announced on social media and in neighborhood fliers that a coyote had tested positive for rabies.<\/p>\n
But Brown said the county should have warned neighbors immediately after the attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in my mind, there was a dangerous situation with a wild animal that had a history of attacking people and we didn\u2019t know anything about it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe citizens were outside, the kids were out playing and things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement said people should avoid animals behaving in unusual ways, and ensure their pets are current on rabies vaccination.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or suspected rabid animal, immediate preventive treatment is necessary,\u201d county officials said in a news release.<\/p>\n
Brown has his own message for neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t taking anything for granted anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cBe vigilant when you go outside and be aware of your surroundings.\u201d<\/p>\n