Actress Sarah Shahi Says Her Dog Was Snatched By a Coyote: ‘My Heart Is in Pieces’

The ‘Paradise’ star’s eldest dog, Star, was taken by a coyote on April 3.

Sarah Shahi poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on Aug. 20, 2021. Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

Sarah Shahi, an actress known for her roles on the television series “Person of Interest” and “Paradise,” has revealed that a coyote snatched away her eldest dog.

“I am an animal lover. I give my dogs comfort before I give myself any,” Shahi, 45, said on Thursday while recalling the incident in a since-expired Instagram story.

“Today, I heard my little girl, Star, get taken by a coyote. This is really ... hard. And breaking it to my kids is awful.”

The actress shares three children with her ex-husband, actor Steve Howey: a 15-year-old son named William and 10-year-old twins Violet and Knox. The former couple were married from 2009 to 2021.

In a separate Instagram Story, Shahi said her kids urged her to ask her social media followers to keep an eye out for their missing dog.

“If for any reason, you come across this dog, let me know,” she wrote. “I know I’m delusional. But when your kids ask you to ask Instagram, you do. My heart is in pieces.”

On Friday morning, Shahi, who lives in Los Angeles, expressed gratitude to her Instagram followers for their support.

“Thank you for reaching out and expressing so much love. I’m sorry I haven’t reached back,” she wrote.

“I’m a shadow of myself. I miss my dog so much. I carry the grief of myself and 3 children. I’ve never seen 3 children feel so much pain. It’s unbearable. But I want to take a [minute] to acknowledge all the care you all have offered.”

On its website, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reports that encounters between people and wildlife, including coyotes, have become more common in recent years. This is largely due to human encroachment on the animals’ natural habitats.

According to the CDFW, coyotes are beneficial to urban ecosystems because they help manage populations of rodents and other small mammals.

However, the state agency warns that even though coyotes are naturally fearful of humans, they are opportunistic omnivores and are capable of consuming a wide variety of foods, including human food and even pets.

“Whether you live in an urban, residential, rural or remote area of California, wild animals are our neighbors. As our human population expands into wildlife habitat, human-wildlife interactions have increased,” the CDFW says.

“Coyotes are at increased risk of becoming food-conditioned or habituated due to increased access to non-natural food sources. Some people do not realize the harm in feeding wild animals or preventing access to attractants.”

Actress Sarah Shahi attends the Maxim Magazine Super Bowl Party on Feb. 1, 2014, in New York. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Shahi has two other dogs, Hershey and Cranberry, which she got when they were puppies. During a December 2023 interview with Natural Diamonds, the actress said she gifted the pups to her children for Christmas the previous year.

“It was the Christmas I momentarily went insane,” Shahi told the publication. “I was the Oprah of dogs. ‘And you get a dog! And you get a dog!’ But the smiles on their faces were worth it.”

Shahi, who served as a professional cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys from 1999 to 2000, pursued an acting career in the early aughts. She appeared in several popular television series, including “City Guys,” “Spin City,” “Boston Public,” “Alias,” “Frasier,” “Dawson’s Creek,” and “ER.”

After starring in the USA Network’s 2011 legal comedy series “Fairly Legal,” Shahi went on to land a recurring role as Sameen Shaw on the CBS drama “Person of Interest,” a character she portrayed from 2013 to 2016.

More recently, Shahi appeared in Hulu’s political thriller series “Paradise.” The show, which premiered in January, stars James Marsden, Sterling K. Brown, and Julianne Nicholson.