Attacks on dogs nearly tripled between 2019 and 2024. Here's where coyotes are in the city, when they're most dangerous, and exactly what to do if you see one.
Onslow's Team · Published August 19, 2026 · 6 min read
Toronto coyote attacks on dogs
At least two dogs were killed in the Liberty Village and Fort York area between November 2024 and April 2025. Community groups reported more.
~35 → ~90
Reported attacks on dogs, 2019 vs 2024
~2,600
Coyote sightings reported to 311 in 2020, up from ~1,300 in 2019
~340
Reports in Ward 10 (Liberty Village/Fort York) alone, Nov 2024–Apr 2025
2+
Dogs confirmed killed by the city in the Fort York/Liberty Village area, Nov 2024–Apr 2025
Sources: City of Toronto Animal Services, 311 data, CBC News reporting. Figures rounded to the nearest ten.
Coyotes live in every part of Toronto. The city's ravine system, the Don Valley, Humber River, and Highland Creek corridors, acts as a highway network connecting green spaces across the city. They den in ravines, railway corridors, hydro corridors, and the edges of golf courses and cemeteries.
High activity (2024–2025)
Where they den
Coyotes do not hibernate. They are in these areas year-round.
Coyotes are active day and night, but most encounters happen at dawn and dusk. The City of Toronto ran patrols from 6:30 to 8:30 AM during the Liberty Village crisis because that was when most incidents occurred.
Most encounters happen when dogs are off-leash. A leashed dog beside a human is not what a coyote is looking for.
Do
Don't
Most coyote encounters with dogs happen off-leash. A six-foot leash keeps your dog close enough to protect.
Coyotes will approach and confront dogs that get too close to a den, even if the dog is leashed. Give dens a wide berth.
A whistle, air horn, or even a bag of coins to shake. The city’s aversion program found that loud, sudden noise is the most effective deterrent.
Coyotes and dogs share parasites. Mange, roundworm, and giardia all transfer between them.
Coyotes are far less likely to approach a group of people than a single person with a dog.
Emergency steps
Report the attack to 311 even if your dog is fine. Every report helps the city track problem animals and decide whether intervention is needed.
Toronto's coyote population has grown because the city is good habitat. The ravine system provides shelter and movement corridors. Garbage, compost, and pet food left outside provide easy calories. And coyotes that associate humans with food lose their natural fear.
The Liberty Village crisis was traced to four specific coyotes that had become food-conditioned, meaning they had learned to connect people with food. Two were euthanized. A third left the area, possibly due to increased aversion activities. The fourth remained but showed no reactive behaviour toward humans.
Source: City of Toronto Expert Panel on Coyotes, consolidated summary report, March 2025.
For any coyote sighting, encounter, or attack. The city uses these reports to track activity and deploy resources. Online at toronto.ca/311 or by phone.
311For injured or sick wildlife, or aggressive coyotes in your area.
416-338-7297The City of Toronto also maintains a live coyote sightings map. You can view recent reports at toronto.ca.
Yes. Reported attacks on dogs in Toronto roughly tripled between 2019 and 2024, from about 35 to about 90. Small dogs are at the highest risk, but coyotes have attacked dogs of all sizes. At least two dogs were confirmed killed in the Liberty Village area between November 2024 and April 2025.
Dawn and dusk, especially between 6:30 and 8:30 AM. During the Liberty Village crisis, the city ran patrols during these hours. Coyotes can be active at any time, but encounters are most common in the early morning and evening.
Throughout the city. They use the ravine system (Don Valley, Humber River, Highland Creek) as movement corridors and den in ravines, railway corridors, hydro corridors, and park edges. High-activity areas in 2024–2025 included Liberty Village, Fort York, Etobicoke, High Park, and the Scarborough Bluffs.
Face it, make yourself large, make noise (yell, clap, use a whistle), and back away slowly. Pick up small dogs. Do not run, turn your back, or approach it. Report the sighting to 311.
The city’s approach prioritizes aversion (re-conditioning coyotes to fear humans) over removal. Lethal removal is used only as a last resort for individual animals that pose a direct safety threat after aversion has failed. The city does not do broad culls.
Yes. Feeding wildlife is a bylaw violation. It is the primary cause of food-conditioned coyotes, the ones that lose their fear of people and attack dogs.
Sources: City of Toronto Animal Services · City of Toronto Expert Panel on Coyotes in Fort York/Liberty Village (March 2025) · City of Toronto Coyote Coexistence and Response Strategy (July 2025) · CBC News · Toronto Wildlife Centre.
Related: emergency vets · off-leash parks · lost dog guide
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