Federal officials are investigating a rash of coyote attacks on pets in parks in and around Tigard and they say coyotes are becoming a growing cause of concern across the metro area.

One coyote near Spring Lake in Tigard has been especially aggressive, according to neighbors.

It’s gone as far as to stake out homes, waiting for family pets to come outside.

All over the area, coyotes have been getting bolder in their attempts to find food, wildlife officers say.

Comment: Close encounters with coyotes in your neighborhood?

In Durham Park, wildlife officers have gone as far as to set snares, hoping to catch some of the coyotes. So far, the traps haven't worked.

Meanwhile, neighbors have had close calls.

Every evening Diana Wolf takes her dogs Loki and Max out for their walk.

She recently had to change their route, following a scary incident.

The incident happened right as the sun was coming up. Wolf glanced back and saw a coyote a feet away.

“We were finishing our walk and it came out of nowhere and started chasing us,” she said. “I didn't know what to do. I kept running. It kept on following us, staying right behind us, probably a couple of feet away.”

Even after Wolf and her dogs ran inside, the coyote wouldn't immediately leave.

"It finally crossed the street and stood in front of our house for about 10 minutes. And then it hopped the fence and went back into the woods,” Wolf said.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture say the coyote population in and around Portland is getting more aggressive.

Officials say pet owners need to keep dogs and cats away from the forest from dusk to dawn.

"So the fact that the coyote wasn't scared of the dog, or scared of my husband, was what alarmed us,” Wolf said.

She now carries mace when she goes out.

Each year the USDA captures between 20 and 30 coyotes in the Portland Metro Area. Most of the animals are euthanized.

Recent problems with coyotes have been reported in Lake Oswego and West Linn.