WASHINGTON — A coyote being kept as a pet was captured near a restaurant in Calvert County on Wednesday, NBC Washington reports.

Animal control caught the coyote running around near Neptune’s in North Beach, Maryland, just after 8 a.m. It was wearing a blue collar, which led police to its owner, NBC Washington reports.

It is illegal to own a coyote in Maryland.

Police said the coyote’s owner got the animal from Virginia as a puppy. The animal had to be euthanized, police said, due to the possible risk of rabies exposure.

Police told NBC Washington that the charges were pending against the owner.