HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — There are reports of coyote attacks on animals in West Tennessee.

“Anything that’s wooded, that’s out away from people and traffic, that’s where they hang out. They’ll hang out right along the property line of your property,” said Lexington Animal Control officer Brandon McPeake.

McPeake said coyotes are in their mating season, which often correlates with more coyote attacks on pets, especially dogs.

“What they’ll normally do is they will get the dog to chase them out into the woods and then the pack grabs them, and then they kill your dog,” McPeake said.

McPeake shared a few precautions to better protect your pets.

“Make sure your dogs are brought in at night time, make sure there’s no food out for them, and coyotes are mainly attracted to male feces and urine,” McPeake said.

If your dog is attacked, officials say you should get them help immediately.

“If you find out your dog has been attacked, the best thing to do is take it to the animal clinic and make sure it’s up to date on its rabies shots, because coyotes can carry rabies,” McPeake said.

Henderson County Animal Clinic said they’ve had a couple of dogs come in over the past few weeks with injures corresponding to a coyote attack.

Officials say mating season ends in two weeks, and McPeake says you don’t need a hunting license to take preventative measures.

“If it’s harming your pet or damaging your property, you know the laws in the state of Tennessee are relaxed. It’s okay to kill the coyote,” McPeake said.

McPeake said if you see a coyote around your property to call the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at 1 (800) 327-3928.