A Katy Family Lost Their Dog to a Coyote; Here’s What they Want Others to Know
KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
September 23, 2026
By Natalie Cook Clark
A Katy couple’s beloved French Bulldog was killed by a coyote last week. They don’t want Eva to have died in vain, they want her story to educate others and save Katy pets.
Katy resident Chelsea Garcia had a bad feeling when she was out of town last Friday night. She and her boyfriend Jay Landry were visiting his mother on hospice when she called her mom asking her to go check on their dogs. A phone call reporting that Eva, a 4-year-old French Bulldog was missing brought the couple home and rallied a neighborhood.
“Our neighbors were fabulous,” says Garcia. “As we were returning, they are searching and then I started to hear reports and stories about coyote and bobcat sightings. We had no idea this problem existed.”
Chelsea and Jay have lived in a Katy for 12-13 years. They live in Cinco Ranch at the Highland Knolls and fairbranch side of the greenbelt.
“I used to think the greenbelt was quiet, pretty and safe. Now I’ve been told stories of coyotes and other critters that can hurt our pets and potentially small children,” says Garcia.
After a search, Eva’s remains were found by Jay not far from their home around the greenbelt. All that was left to bury was her leg. The injuries were consistent with that of a coyote killing.
The couple still have no idea how Eva got out or how the coyote got to her. They saw their three dogs on their backyard camera around midnight on Friday. Eva had a problem with a disc in her back so she had a neck brace on. While one of their labs is known to be a digger (their backyard is lined with bricks because of this) they don’t see how she could have gotten out with the neck brace on.
During the search, Garcia’s mother found Eva’s collar and neck brace on the driveway.
This is not the first time a Katy family has lost their beloved pet to coyotes. While Chelsea and Jay didn’t witness the fatal attack, other families saw how quick disaster can come.
One family saw their small dog taken as a coyote jumped the fence. Another watched their dog be pulled through a rod iron fence by a coyote. In both cases the family tried to intervene and were unable to save their dogs.
Sadly, this is a scenario that “Cinco Ranch Area Lost & Found Pet Network” co-founder and admin, Paige Holsapple sees often.
“Katy families need to be aware of the increased activity in the change of seasons, particularly Fall and Spring when coyote families start looking for more calories and easier access to prey in order to get them ready to reproduction and winter,” says Holsapple.
Katy is home to wild animals that can harm our pets and even small children.
“We have to remember that in Texas we have a lot of varieties of predators who are looking for easy food,” says Holsapple. “We not only have coyotes, but we also have bobcats, alligators in the bayous, venomous snakes, wild hogs who will eat anything—and an occasional cougar who will circle through Katy off of Buffalo Bayou every 6 months or so.”
Holsapple also says that large birds have been known to mistake small pets with squirrels and opossums and take them instead. She says they aren’t necessarily stalking pets but if the opportunity is there, they will strike.
“This is life in Texas, and it’s always been this way,” she says. “Suburbanization has only opened up the opportunities for easier prey with residents moving here from out of state to what they think is ‘Mayberry’ but just on the other side of the fence, along the greenbelts, etc. is ‘Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.’ Wooded areas along the bayou system are natural cover for predators and coyotes’ den in those areas.”
“Seeing native wildlife such as coyotes and bobcats should be handled the same way as when one sees alligators,” says Fort Bend Constable Major Chad Norvell, Precinct 1. “Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone.”
How to Deter Coyotes from Your Home
Do not keep pet food outside.
Clean your grill after use.
Clear away potential hiding places.
Cover trash and recycling cans.
If composting, do not add meat or bones.
Keep small pets indoors.
Some families have resorted to using protective vests such as the Coyote Vest to help protect small dogs from coyote attacks.
“The best way to keep your pets safe from loss or being predated on is by keeping them inside-only or on-leash outside with you, and to make sure your pets are microchipped and registered, and always wear a well-fitting collar with an ID tag on with the owner’s name, home address, and two phone numbers,” shares Holsapple.
“We really want Katy families to understand this danger,” says Garcia. “It is my hope that Eva’s death can be a warning to help save other pets.”
Since Eva’s death, Chelsea and Jay have heard many stories about dogs and cats being killed by local wildlife. They want others to know this information, as they didn’t fully realize the risks of this area.
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