My heart goes out to you and your family. Bruiser looks like my friends little mix- and has the same personality. Such a sweetie ..

If you need help figuring out how to keep the coyotes out of your yard, please PM me. I worked and continue to work with a nonprofit bear protection group in Tahoe and I have also worked with keeping coyotes safely out of people's yards. Each yard is as different as the owner, so it isn't really helpful for me to start posting how to go about securing your property. Killing the coyote only invites others into their position, and draws males in that would of otherwise not lived there previously, so it's better to just deal with the culprit that is there already. Coyotes will venture out day or night as they learned that people sleep at night and thereby leaving them alone to get in garbage and whatever else they deem as 'food'.

Coyotes have nipped people in CA but that's up for interpretation as to an attack. People think it's cool to feed them thereby drawing them into residences as well as leaving unsecured garbage around, which is an invitation. Coyote rollers work well so you are on your way there, but only on top of chain link fencing.

Let me know if you need help and sending some good thoughts your way ~ Karin