After a coyote claimed the life of their 2-year-old miniature pinscher, Zeus, the Katsaros family of Willowbrook is aching to make fellow residents aware of a potential pet stalker in the neighborhood.

“Once you met him, he just stole your heart,” said Jeri Katsaros, mother of the Katsaros family. “He was just so sweet.”

At about 9:45 p.m. Aug. 30, Zeus’ 7-pound body had wiggled his way pass the back door of the home in the Waterford subdivision and into the backyard, running toward a dark object near a line of trees.

Shortly after his escape, 17-year-old Julia’s frantic screams alerted her father, Greg, that something was not right.

“I thought Zeus was running toward another dog, but then I saw that it was a coyote,” Julia said. “The coyote snapped at him, and then Zeus tried to run away but it got him.”

The coyote disappeared with Zeus into a series of trees and bushes separating the family’s unfenced yard with a neighboring home. The Katsaros quickly alerted police.

“This is a pet and we loved him very much, but a pet is not a person in the eyes of the law,” Greg said.

“The officer said that the coyotes have rights, too, and that just blew my mind,” added Emily, 19.

The Katsaros’ search for Zeus ended the next morning. A neighbor a block and a half away called the family after they found Zeus’ dog tag in their backyard.

Fulfilling an obligation they felt to educate their neighbors, the family distributed homemade fliers to 250 area homes. The flier also mentioned Willowbrook police did not feel the matter is a concern.

Deputy Police Chief Mark Shelton said this was an isolated incident, as there was no previously confirmed coyote attacks on animals or people in Willowbrook.

“We have no reason to make residents alarmed but they should be aware of coyotes,” he said. “Officers may have seen them, especially those on the midnight shift, but there is no way for us to know how many there are.”

From talking with neighbors, the Katsaros have heard stories of frequent coyote sightings. One neighbor once saw a pack of three traveling down the street together. Another vowed to not let their dog out at night again.

“Some people see coyotes every morning when they’re going to work and others see them when they walk their dogs at 10 o’clock at night,” Greg said. “There are two schools of awareness around here: those who see them often and those who don’t even know they’re here.”

Jack MacRue, a naturalist with the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, recommends making loud noises to deter coyotes. Lights and throwing objects in the animal’s direction will also startle it. Wild life, however, is still unpredictable.

“I don’t feel like these coyotes are afraid of people at all,” Julia said. “I was screaming, and it didn’t move.”

A fence can help prevent a coyote from entering a property, MacRue said. Unless it sees something that it wants, a coyote will most likely not enter a yard.

With children in the area, the concern for parents is safety but attacks on humans are rare, he said. The Illinois Department of Resources reports that there have been 16 coyote attacks on humans in the state in the past 30 years.

“Not that it’s never happened before, but I don’t know that it has ever happened in DuPage County,” MacRue said.

Since the 1980s, coyotes have been expanding their territory in DuPage Country and as the largest predator, they want to eliminate competition. Present in every suburb, the area offers coyotes both food and shelter for families, he said, and it’s not unusual for coyotes to go after small pets.

Despite MacRue and the police department’s belief residents are not in danger, the Katsaros are not disregarding their experience.

“Put the coyotes in their own area, not in my backyard, not where humans live and little kids are,” Emily said. “For me to be scared to go into my own backyard is ridiculous.”

If the coyote population did get out of hand, then the village would work with the Wildlife Center to set traps, Shelton said. To increase awareness, the Katsaros family plans to attend the

Willowbrook Public Safety meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at Village Hall, 7760 Quincy St.

“We lost a family member, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that but as least we can make people aware,” Greg said. “It’s going to happen again.”