Caught on camera: Brave dog chases away coyote, saves his puppy brother
A coyote attacked a puppy in the backyard of a California home, but fortunately, the pup's brother came to the rescue — and the gut-wrenching moment was caught on camera.
Watch security footage of the incident in the video above.
A security camera captured the moment a 10-pound Maltese mix named Vinny took on a coyote to save his younger brother, another pup named Harley.
The dogs' owners, Erin and David Macaluso, couldn't help but gush over the bravery of their dog Vinny, an 11-year-old rescue.
"Vinny's a superhero. He's always been a scrapper. He's just not afraid of anything," David Macaluso .
"I knew he was fearless but I didn't understand how fearless," said Erin Macaluso.
The attack happened in the backyard of their Mission Viejo, California, home. After walking the dogs, the Macalusos forgot to close the dog door immediately and Harley ran out when he heard a noise.
The noise was two coyotes looming by the back gate. Video shows one of them leaping through the gate, chasing and grabbing Harley by the neck — but Vinny heard his cry for help.
"He just chased them," David said. "I think he had a low level growl that, I think it shocked the coyote."
"It does look like he jumped on [the coyote] and he darted this way and then that gave Harley an opportunity to flip over and run the other way," Erin said.
Harley received 20 stitches and is on the road to recovery.