SEMINOLE (FOX 13)
Posted: Oct 11, 2013 10:50 PM EST
Updated: Oct 12, 2013 8:56 AM EST
They were brought together by second chances; now Kitty has a third, thanks to Jack.
"He probably feels like he's the caretaker. He checks on her every day and sniffs her, seeing what kind of shape she is in," said Sherree Lewis.
The two are family pets, and both were rescues. Sherree watches over her son Peter's dog while Peter is deployed in Afghanistan. She never imagined Jack would become the family's second hero.
"As I was walking to the door, I could see the coyotes over here," she pointed out.
It happened in an instant at the Seminole neighborhood.
"One had her by the neck and the other had her by the tail," she recalled.
Two coyotes had Kitty and were shaking her violently, but Jack was ready for a fight.
"I didn't know Jack could run that fast. He was on them so fast," she said.
Jack got the coyotes to drop Kitty and she was rushed to a vet.
"She can't walk yet, but she is getting there," said Lewis.
Kitty has a broken tooth and is being treated for brain swelling. She is lucky compared to other stories circulating the neighborhood.
"Maybe another cat came up missing and then somebody's little dog went missing," said Lewis.
Sherrie and her family called a trapper, who is working on setting up traps in the mangroves behind their house. That is the area the coyotes ran to and that is where they believe they are living.
"He likes other dogs he wouldn't have done that if there were dogs out there. It was like he knew the difference," she said.
Jack now stands guard on the lookout for the coyotes to return, and never leaving the side of his best friend.
"Jack is a hero. He saved the kitty's life and he just shows how good dogs can be. Big dogs can protect you, especially if something like this happens," she said.
Pinellas County Animal Rescue warns residents to keep cats and dogs inside at night if there are coyotes in the area.
