ROWAN ATKINSON - ROSSI'S DOG KILLED BY WILD COYOTE

Former ALLY McBEAL star PORTIA DE ROSSI is devastated after seeing her pet dog BEAN get viciously murdered by a coyote.

The Australian actress was so distraught after witnessing the gruesome attack, she had to be sedated, say sources.

The eight-year-old pooch was outside in the yard on the morning of 9 May (04), while de Rossi and her lover, RINGO STARR's stepdaughter FRANCESCA GREGORINI, were inside the Los Feliz, California, house they share.

The dog managed to slip thought a small opening in a fence and wandered into a neighbour's unprotected yard.

A source tells the NATIONAL ENQUIRER, "Just as Portia and Francesca were getting ready to shower, they heard two loud terrible yelping screams. They both rushed outside to find Portia's beloved little dog in the jaws of a vicious coyote.

"Portia was in tears - screaming as the coyote ran off with Bean in its jaws. They tried to run after it, but all they found was a tuft of Bean's white hair and a few spots of blood."

The source adds, "Portia had moved out of her posh West Hollywood home just over a year ago and purchased the new place in leafy Los Feliz just so her dog would have a yard to play in.

"She used to joke that Bean was the only man she ever loved. Now she is beside herself with grief."