People in Gibsons, B.C., say coyotes are running in packs around town, snatching dogs and cats, and want the province to look into why the population has increased. (CBC)

A woman living along B.C.'s Sunshine Coast says coyotes in the community are becoming more brazen after her dog was snatched from the inside of her store.

On Friday, Carola Russell's nine-year-old toy poodle Nicky was snatched out of her quilt store in Gibsons.

"He's our shop dog at the quilt shop. He's always happy to see a customer who has a little treat for him," said Russell.

She had opened the doors to let in fresh air, when she and her daughter Alaina spotted a coyote in the parking lot.

'I just saw this curly black ball in his mouth'—Carola Russell, dog and shop owner

Worried the poodle may have wandered, Russell said her daughter went outside to chase the coyote away when a second snuck into the shop and took their dog.

"About 20 feet from the front door and she was looking at the coyote and she thought maybe Nicky was outside so she ran out towards the coyote, which started to run away from her and she turned around and looked back at the quilt shop front door and there was a coyote walking out the front door with Nicky in his mouth," said Russell.

"I just saw this curly black ball in his mouth and I could not believe what I was seeing."

Russell says coyotes are becoming much more visible in Gibsons, they can often be seen running in packs around the community.

There have been reports of cats being snatched and killed, but nothing this brazen, she said.

"They figured out a plan on how to get Nicky out of the store and into their domain. They had to come in because he didn't wander, he stayed in the shop because he's so close to my daughter."

Russell hopes the province will take a closer look at what's behind the increased number of coyotes on the Sunshine Coast, and how to prevent future attacks.

With files from the CBC's Chad Pawson