TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Tucson woman said she never imagined going through something like this—her dog was killed by a coyote.
“Every 3 to 6 months in Tucson, someone has their pet injured by wildlife,” said a spokesperson from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Mark Hart.
Bella was Sharon Wysocki’s pride and joy.
“She’s a little terrier mix. She was just right out front; I turn around and she’s gone,” said Wysocki.
18-year-old Aaron Boehme and his friend Ivan Rubio were driving in a Tucson neighborhood when they saw a coyote carrying a dog.
“We went and chased it and it finally dropped it in front of a house,” said Boehme.
When they approached the dog, she was dead.
“We kind of just called animal control and the pound—just different places and they said they wouldn’t, so we just told the lady we’d bring it to her,” said Boehme.
“They looked at her collar and found my phone number and then they called me,” said Wysocki.
When Wysocki got the call from Boehme and Rubio, she said she didn’t want to remember her dog in that condition.
“I just told them I can’t. There’s nothing I can do to handle all of this, and they just said don’t worry, we got it. We got it,” said Wysocki.
Boehme and his friend delivered the dog’s body to Wysocki to take her to get cremated.
“They put her nicely in the back of my SUV and then when I got to the vets, the vets came, and they got them and I didn’t even have to see her at all,” said Wysocki.
Wysocki posted to the Nextdoor App to let her neighbors know what happened and to publicly thank the two young men for helping her.
“I never got their names. I have their phone number, but I never got their names because it was too emotional for me I was falling apart,” Wysocki said.
“I was crying so hard and everything and they just gave me these big hugs. They were so sweet. I just couldn’t believe it; I don’t know what I would’ve done without them,” she added.
The two teens helped a complete stranger get closure. Boehme said it’s just how he was raised and he always wants to be able to help someone.
“I know a lot of people would’ve just left it and wouldn’t have cared but me and Ivan, we stayed there with the dog and made sure it got back to the owner because if that was me, I’d want my dog to get cremated,” said Boehme.
Wysocki said she’s grateful for their act of kindness.
“Some of the worst things can be happening but you would be surprised how it could end up turning out like it did for me,” Wysocki said.
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Faith Abercrombie is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before coming to KGUN, Faith worked as a videographer for the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation and as a reporter and producer on the youth suicide documentary, "Life is..." on Arizona PBS.
Share your story ideas with Faith by emailing faith.abercrombie@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
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