EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. - East Longmeadow police are warning residents to be aware of wildlife after a man reported two coyotes chased him back to his home Saturday night.

"So I actually heard about the situation through our Facebook page, one of many that we have for the town," said East Longmeadow resident Elizabeth Gallagher. "And the story that somebody was walking and they were followed or chased back into their residence."

"To tell you the truth my wife told me," said East Longmeadow resident Dan Miers. "She stays up with the news and she reads the paper everyday. She's up at 5:00 so she heard about it, and I couldn't believe it."

Police say the man was walking his dog near Birchland Park Middle School and Maple Shade Elementary School when he was confronted by the coyotes.

Departments in neighboring communities are also getting calls. Ludlow animal control officer Octavia Anderson said coyotes are usually very intimidated by people, but residents should still use caution especially if they have pets.

"It's rare that they attack people," Anderson said. "But it's not so rare that they won't hesitate to eat a cat or a small dog, so even if you have a big fence in your backyard, keep an eye on your dog when you let them out. Walk them on a leash or just stay in the backyard with them, especially if you have smaller-than-25-pound dog."

While the neighbors Spectrum News talked to in East Longmeadow hadn’t seen many coyotes, they're concerned about future encounters.

"I have never seen them attack anyone before, so that's kind of an old ball thing," Miers said. "I would hope they don't have any diseases or anything."

"I have two dogs myself that we let out," Gallagher said. "We actually live right out in front of the woods, heavily wooded area in the town and it kinda makes you nervous. Coyotes are nothing to mess with. They will take on any kind of domestic dog and any domestic dog has no chance against a coyote."

Animal control officers like Anderson advise people to do what they can to keep coyotes away by keeping pet food inside. If they do see a coyote in their yard who won’t leave on its own, they can use household items like pans make loud noises or a water hose to scare them away.