About 15 years ago, I opened our patio door one dark night, with my two Belgian Malinois behind me, ready to let them out before bed.
Lierally 3 feet away from me was a very large coyote heading straight for the steps up to my small deck.
My male Malinois almost upset me as he bolted past, with the female hot on his heels, doing “back-up” duty. They chased him off promptly.
I do not want to think about what would have happened if it had been now, with me letting out my little 10 pound Havanese. I now am in “senior living”, and can only have a small dog, but do walk him at night, just before bed. I am in the suburbs, but this story makes me wish I were allowed to “carry”.
I have never heard of a coyote in our area attacking a dog while on a walk with a person. (Or the person for that matter). A rare story of a small dog alone in their yard going missing. LOTS of outside cats that wander the neighborhood that don’t make it back. Although it has been awhile now. (Smarter owners or fewer coyotes?)
My folks lived out their final years in Leisure World, Seal Beach and this has been a problem for a number of years.
If you walk your dog at night and it’s a similar setting I would get a small canister of pepper spray and carry it with you, it at least offers some protection if you can’t carry. The wife does this in our community here in WA.