CHICAGO (CBS) — A coyote spotted near McCormick Place Friday morning has the city’s Animal Care and Control officials monitoring the situation.

As WBBM Newsradio 780′s Mary Frances Bragiel reports, the coyote, described as the size of a poodle, had a tipster fearing for her life.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Mary Frances Bragiel reports

“I’m deathly afraid of dogs, unless they’re my own dogs, and when I saw that I was like, ‘I need to go back the other way,’” she said.

The woman says she was exercising in the 2300 block of South Lake Shore Drive, near the McCormick Place Bird Sanctuary, when she spotted the animal heading towards the fenced in area.

She said she was not the only one who spotted the animal and turned around out of fear. In fact she was told by another jogger that the same coyote was spotted in the same location earlier this week.

“He said he saw it, and he didn’t call it in,” the woman said. “He should have, but he didn’t.”

A representative of the city’s Animal Care and Control says after they received word, crews were on the scene, but are not required by law to pick up the coyote unless it poses a danger to the public.

The spotter says the surprise incident won’t necessarily change her exercise routine.

“I’m just going to be a little bit more cautious,” she said.

There are a reported 2,000 coyotes living in Cook County.