WHITE BEAR TOWNSHIP, Minn. - Reports of coyote sightings in the Metro area and in some cases reports of coyotes attacking dogs are both on the rise this year.

Imagine your reaction if it's 5:45 a.m. and you see something coming at you fast in the dark? That's what happened to a White Bear Lake couple just down a trail in White Bear Township.

"It wasn't afraid of us at all," said Aaron Olson.

Olson, his wife and their dog, Rufus, went for a jog before dawn on Monday morning. He said they saw a coyote bounding at them through the thick brush along the trail.

Olson said he repeatedly waved his arms and yelled at the animal, but it kept coming back at them.

"Finally the last time, I just started running straight towards it with my hands up in the air, shouting and screaming and that's finally what made it run the other direction."

Olson said he has learned that coyotes showing aggression toward humans is rare, which made him wonder if the animal might have rabies or some other problem.

Olson say a neighbor who uses the trail told him that she has seen a number of coyotes around that area.