Villager photo by Clayton Patterson

Coyote sold; Vick’s a dog

The stuffed animal whose photo appeared on The Villager’s Op-Ed Page last week was not a wolf, but a much smaller coyote, William Leroy, owner of Billy’s Antiques & Props, explained last Saturday. As a matter of fact, earlier on Saturday, a woman in a wheelchair had purchased the coyote for $500. Concerned about possible PETA backlash from The Villager photo, Leroy — above right, with Rick Crane, an employee, and Leroy’s Rottweiller, Killjoy — has started using a Michael Vick football jersey as a doormat at his E. Houston St. store for patrons to wipe their feet on. A former Division I football wide receiver at Northeastern University, Leroy said he is a dog lover and is outraged over the Falcons quarterback having led a brutal dogfighting ring. As for his antiques and props, Leroy said he won’t sell any stuffed animals from species on the endangered list, such as tigers and bald eagles. He said he had particularly liked the coyote because it was cross-eyed.