Cougar nabs dog from deck of house

[QueenScoopalot]

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/sporting...1/2026981.html

Cougar nabs dog from deck of house
Associated Press — March 31, 2005
JOHNSON SIDING, S.D. — Andrea Johnson stood on her back deck Tuesday morning, her eyes full of tears, and pointed to the hillside where she last saw her dog Abby clamped in a mountain lion's jaws.

"I was screaming, 'No! No! No!' " Johnson said. "It still had my dog in its mouth. It wasn't a bit scared. It just looked at me. Then it turned and walked up the hill."

The mountain lion disappeared behind Johnson's rural home, taking with it her 7 1/4-pound Jack Russell terrier.

Johnson's world changed shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, seconds after she carried her other Jack Russell terrier, Jazzy, down the steps of their deck.

Abby, a feisty little dog with a protective nature, was tagging along behind.

"I bent over like this and was patting Jazzy on the back. Abby was right at my heels and started to growl," Johnson said. "I raised up and turned around, and the lion was right there, so close I could have spit on it. That's when the lion grabbed Abby."

Johnson ran into the house and dialed 911. Sheriff's deputies, a state trooper and state Game, Fish and Parks Department officers responded.

"We considered that a very close encounter," said Mike Kintigh, regional GF&P supervisor. "Killing a pet that close to people justified that lion being removed."

A GF&P crew later shot and killed the lion less than a mile from Johnson's house.

[pitc9]

OMG!!!

Poor pup...

I wish we ALL could co-exist peacefuly

[Chica]

POOR PUPPY!!HOW SCAREY!!!

[gemini9961]

That's so sad, I would be devastated if that happened to me. I live in FL and we have gators that you have to watch out for in grabbing your pets. I won't live next to the water because of the gators. I hate them and I would be so mad if they ever got a hold of my dogs.

[flamepony12]

How sad, and to see it happen!!

[sandragonfly]

oh holy beans! I couldn't imagine how that owner feel about seeing the whole thing *shakes head*
I have an uncle and aunt who lives down in california, they have a cat, sammy - and a HUGGGE backyard, probably about four houses that can fit in and how uncle always tells a story that they've seen coyote out there in back of it...be careful sammy!!

[cyber-sibes]

whoa! What a nightmare- I would be totally freaked out, that poor gal....

[Oggyflute]

The poor puppy. It was a bit of a shame they couldn't catch and release the mountain lion in a better area.

[stacwase]

We have cougars here, too. I've never seen one but I know a lot of people who have. My friend's horse was mauled by one. The DNR refused to admit they were here until recently, when they got DNA evidence.

For some reason, cougars scare me more than any other animal up here. Bears (for the most part) and wolves stay on the ground and I feel like I'd see or hear them. But cougars often hunt from the trees! That scares the crap out of me. And they're so quiet! Like that one - look how close it got before the dog owner even saw it.

I got shivers reading that.

[cyber-sibes]

We have cougars here, too.

I was just talking to someone here (ohio) the other day and they told me there were cougars in Michigan, too. i didn't know that. We have a lot of coyotes around here, but they don't usually bother dogs.

[LKPike]

Originally posted by Oggyflute
It was a bit of a shame they couldn't catch and release the mountain lion in a better area.

I agree. even though it killed a loved pet, looking at it from the lions side... a little dog probably isnt any different than a rabbit, and the owners *extremely* lucky it didnt attack Her instead of her dog.

[senorita02]

Aww that is horrible for the poor dog and dog owners, and even the Lion that they had to kill him

There was a news story a few weeks back they had spotted what they thought was a Cougar or some huge cat like animal, they had movies of it, it was pretty big, that was here in Michigan.

[CagneyDog]

Originally posted by Oggyflute
The poor puppy. It was a bit of a shame they couldn't catch and release the mountain lion in a better area.

I agree. I don't know much about the situation but I think we are pushing our limits, we are punishing animals (in this case the cougar) for something that isn't really their fault. When you think about it, the Cougar didn't know that the dog was a pet, he didn't know that this was any different than a small wild critter. We are punishing him for something that is instinct.

That poor dog, that is just heart breaking.

We have had a few cougar spottings recently, but coyotes are a bigger problem over here.

[schteve_d]

I used to do a lot of hiking on Vancouver Island when I lived there. The Island has the highest concentration of Cougars in North America. We ran into black bears ALL the time, but that never worried me, but I always had a bit of fear in the back of my mind of Cougars. My nieghbor's dog was killed by a cougar while they were out hiking, and he had to be "rescued" once as he was hiking alone and 3 cougars starting circling him (luckily someone came along 4x4'ing on the power-line access road he was on! While I lived there, there was a US Naval Officer who was riding his bike along the highway and a cougar took him right off it and killed him (I think it killed him, actually, it's also possible a motorist stopped and saved him, can't remember now). I think they are beautiful animals, but I am weary of them!
That would be a terrible thing for that woman to watch!