Most parents aren't worried about their child being chased by a wild animal when they are playing in the backyard. However for this father in Oregon, that fear became a reality. His 4-year-old daughter had a close call as she was chased by a coyote through their backyard. Watch the insane video here.
4-Year-Old Chased By A Coyote In Her Backyard
I have to give this 4-year-old little girl some serious credit, she handled the situation very calmly. As the video beings you can hear her yell, "Dad, there's a coyote." However, the yelling is just so that her father will hear her. She sounds surprisingly calm as she races across the yard, trying to escape from the wild animal.
Her father says, "No," at first as if he doesn't believe her. Then, he looks up and sees that his 4-year-old is indeed being chased by a coyote. "Yea," she calmly responds as she runs up onto her play picnic table, trying to get some distance between her and the coyote. Such quick thinking on her part.
The girl's father, Charlie Schmidt, then says, "Oh," in surprise seeing how close this wild animal came to grabbing a ahold of his daughter. A camera that displays another side of the home, shows the coyote running off down the driveway. However Charlie is not taking any chances now.
"Holy sh*t," he exclaims as he runs over and picks his daughter, Riley, up in his arms.
The Internet Loves Riley
I am not the only one who was impressed with Riley's calm attitude while she was being chased by a coyote. The internet is praising this 4-year-old for her quick thinking. One person commented, "You know he will never doubt her again when she says there is a coyote lol. Her little "yeah" took me out." Another added, "So calm and aware. What a smart kid getting up on the table.. also cute how she's like 'see?'"
While many argued that she saved herself form the situation, there were quite a few people who were commenting on the great parenting techniques that little Riley must have experienced. One person commented, "I appreciate that not only was she calm as so many have noted, but also that she believed in her father to help her. Thats a strong and healthy bond there." A second chimed in, "Smart little girl knows the difference between a coyote and a dog... Great parenting."
While we are all happy that the father-daughter duo is okay, Charlie did speak to KGW News and admitted that the encounter spooked him. He admits that it was alarming because coyotes do not typically come that close to humans. He said, "Yeah I was happy nothing happened, but a little scared that it was chasing them."
I am sure he will now be more vigilant than ever when he and little Riley are out in the yard.