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AURORA, Colo. — A family is mourning the loss of their dog after it was attacked in their backyard.

Marie was a 5-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. Her owner, Cold Flake, says she got out Sunday afternoon from their home in the Tallyn’s Reach neighborhood, but she never came home.

“Usually if she’s outside she’ll run around chasing rabbits,” Flake says.

Flake found Marie Monday morning in their backyard with puncture wounds on both sides of her small body.

“I thought something must have either stabbed her or shot her,” Flake told FOX31.

City of Aurora Animal Control says Marie’s wounds are likely bite marks from a large dog or Coyote.

Flake says he does not feel comfortable in his own backyard anymore and will have trouble letting his other dog outside from now on.

“The biggest concern at this point is the safety of everybody else’s animals and kids,” Flake says.

The City of Aurora says fatal wild animal attacks are rare. They suggest dog owners keep their pets on short leashes when near open spaces. They also remind pet owners that fences will not keep wild animals from entering properties. Pets left in backyards need constant supervision in areas where coyotes are present.