The night Ozzy Osbourne wrestled a coyote: “Ozzy heard the screams”
Even from the earliest days of Black Sabbath’s fame, frontman Ozzy Osbourne has earned himself something of a reputation for being a little barmy. While his latest act of insanity is choosing to reform the original lineup of the band despite being unable to walk, he’s got a history of being accused of Satanic worship, going on drug-fuelled benders and throwing meat into audiences. He’s not nicknamed the ‘Prince of Darkness’ for nothing.
There are plenty more strange controversies that have arisen throughout his career, notably the fact that he’s bitten the heads off not one but two different species. The bat-biting incident in 1982, where he caught a live bat on stage and sank his gnashers into its neck thinking it was made of rubber, lives in infamy, but he’d also done something similar with a dove only a year before, despite having intended to free a flock of them in the middle of a record label meeting.
As it turns out, Osbourne has something of a history with other areas of the animal kingdom, and it’s not just winged beasts that have felt his wrath in the past. Bats and birds may not have the greatest amount of safety around the heavy metal legend, but as it happens, neither do wild dogs.
His Beverly Hills mansion, which became famous for featuring as the abode shown in all episodes of the reality TV series The Osbournes, unfortunately became subject to a number of canine trespassers in the early 2000s, and as a pet owner himself, Ozzy and family were concerned that these coyotes may cause harm to their domesticated animals. This might sound like the paranoid delusions of a madman, but the wild critters would eventually strike and cause serious damage.
The Osbournes unfortunately lost Lulu, their pet chihuahua, in a savage attack by the coyotes, and apparently, the family went as far as throwing poisoned chicken over the fence in an effort to prevent a repeat incident. However, the coyotes would soon come after their pomeranian, Pipi, and this time, Ozzy wasn’t willing to lose another beloved Osbourne animal. When they struck a second time, Ozzy entered the ring with the gloves off, prepared to do anything to protect the pet.
According to his wife, Sharon, “Ozzy heard the screams and fought and got Pip out of the coyote’s mouth.” While it’s not known if he chose to give the coyote the same treatment as the dove and bat, he would emerge victorious in his battle, managing to prise open the jaws of the coyote and freeing Pipi. While the dog would require a trip to the vet for surgery, she did eventually make a recovery after the attack.
You might think that having two cute dogs is a little off-brand for a man with Osbourne’s sort of reputation, but it would appear he was willing to do anything to protect them from the neighbourhood’s scariest predators. Perhaps this act of bravery towards animal protection was something he thought may serve as redemption for his past discrepancies, although maybe the coyote would think a little differently on the matter.
