Cougar kills pet dog in Cle Elum yard
ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) - A cougar killed a small dog Wednesday night in Cle Elum when the owner let the dog outside.
Washington State Fish and Wildlife Capt. Rich Mann told the Daily Record the cougar grabbed the dog and took off.
Kittitas County sheriff's deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers responded but were unable to find any trace of the cougar.
Mann says it will be killed if it is found because it killed a pet.
He says the cougar may be a female with cubs that was spotted on a trail camera east of town.
Washington State Fish and Wildlife Capt. Rich Mann told the Daily Record the cougar grabbed the dog and took off.
Kittitas County sheriff's deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers responded but were unable to find any trace of the cougar.
Mann says it will be killed if it is found because it killed a pet.
He says the cougar may be a female with cubs that was spotted on a trail camera east of town.
Why will the cougar be killed? The cougar was in its natural environment, the dog was an intruder. And I'd like to know why the authorities are wasting resources to track down an animal just because it killed a dog? If the entire story were told, the idiot dog was barking its head off and antagonized the cougar. I hope the cougar isn't found. One less yap dog is always good news!
The problem is the cougar now sees backyards as buffets. Hate to see it put down over a rat terrier, but I would hate even more to see things escalate to where it comes after a child.
@nodozr  So you remove the food supply.   Had to do the same thing around here when the coyotes found my chickens every so often.  Had to stop letting them out or vary the times.  Now I have a Great Pyrenees, no more coyotes!  Still have to take precautions for the raptors.Â
@Murigen @nodozr That is the long-term solution as there will always be another cougar or coyote to worry about.Â
Now stay in the woods, Mrs. Kitty!
For all those upset about the cougar's "death sentence"; remember it's not the officer's decision, nor is it even the Fish & Wildlife's decision. They are just following policy which is made by our lawmakers; that is who your anger/disappointment should be directed towards. I totally agree that the cougar shouldn't be killed just for killing Fido, but you also have to wonder why it was hanging around so close to a house looking for easy pickins. Is it sick or just a young, dumb one looking for a new home and just happened to wander too close to some homes. I'm hoping it's the latter because that means he/she is long gone by now. If it is sick, then it should be found and put out of its misery. Either way, please understand that the officers are just following the laws they were sworn to protect.
So, I see my neighbor lady putting a nice new color on her cat, with a pretty little bell on it. So I ask her why she is putting a bell on her cat, and her answer is, "so she won't kill any more birdies." So I tell her, yes, it won't be a problem because she just put a tracking device on her cat for the coyotes. Dead cats don't kill birds. I told her to just keep the cat inside and it'll be safe and won't kill birds. "Oh, no. She would be upset." Kitty disappeared about three days later. We are surroundede by predators, folks! Cougars and bobcats and coyotes, OH MY!
@factchekr You forgot bears.......while technically not a predator, per se, still very dangerous for fluffy to run into in the night...
Collar, not color. &%##@
Oh please - you live in the frickin' mountains, let your dog out unsupervised, and are surprised when a large, NATIVE, predator kills it? Don't blame the cat because you, the owner, were irresponsible. Â
I sure hope they don't kill this cougar if it's a momma - who's going to find the cubs and then raise them? Is that 'ideal'? I do feel sorry, as others do on here, about the pet but I woldn't want the momma cougar killed just cause it ate my pet. I love my dogs and I'd hate it if something like this happened, but that would be life. It's really not 'murder', and we don't give people who kill other people the death sentence anymore, so why should this cougar get the death sentence?
Hmmm....so a COUGAR kills a family pet in town and it gets an automatic death sentence. Another family pet killed by a WOLF just 3 miles outside of town gets no notice & the wolf remains a protected animal. (This happened a couple of weeks ago.) Is the difference in handling due to location, species or both?
I have to say that having a cougar fearless enough to enter a yard during the day makes me a little nervous. I realize that wildlife is part of living in Cle Elum, Roslyn, Ronald and the surrounding areas, but it doesn't mean that you get used to it. I live in town & frequently have deer, small game animals & some game birds in my yard. I even had a brown bear eating apples from my tree one night when I came home from work. I can tell you that if I had a cougar or wolf in my yard eyeing my pets or children, I'd shoot first and ask questions later!!
Another spin on this: Is the WDFW decision maker here a UW alum??
@V&K;'sMama - it might be because wolves are on the endangered list but I'm not sure.Â
@V&K;'sMama If you had a wolf or cougar in your yard eyeing your children I'd hand you the gun.  Â
Dogs are made of meat.
@bagsofdirt So are you...
I feel for the family that lost their dog, it is heartbreaking to loose a beloved pet. I do however disagree with killing the cougar if they find it. People do need to be aware that their pets are prey. Wolves, cougars and coyotes will make off with your pets, especially the smaller ones. When I lived in the south the alligators would get pets quite frequently. I would suggest that people keep their pets up and protect them from the wildlife in the area.
@Susabelle People never mention raccoons.  We had a roving pack that killed three cats on our street and seriously injured a fourth a few years ago.  There are any number of wild animals that can take down a domesticated animal.  That's why all of our cats are indoor cats, and why I would accompany our mid-size dog into the yard when he had to do his business.
@belsnickles @Susabelle  Yes raccoons aren't always cute.  So far we haven't had much trouble with them.  I don't feed my pets outside and the livestock feed is in the barn or pantry.  I saw one right outside the door years ago.  He was happily munching on one of my gold fish.   Once he, and the cranes, finished off the fish I didn't restock.  A full grown raccoon can take down a large dog in the right circumstances. Â
@Murigen @belsnickles @Susabelle Well, they are "cute," just as many wild animals are, but that's the rub: They're wild animals.  The injuries to these poor cats was just horrific, actually, so I'm sure you're right that a even a dog might have a tough time.  These raccoons were HUGE.  I wish people would keep cats indoors - yes, they have claws, but they are domesticated animals and not prepared to do battle with wild ones.  Even some dogs need supervision outside at night.
@Susabelle - I agree. I live in Marysville area - not in town. I have small dogs but I always make noise and turn on lights if it's dark out before I let my dogs out. Mainly it's been for the protection of one of the neighbor's cats that might be in the yard but I am kind of hopeful it might scare off another type of critter. The terrier I have now would make a dent in the cougar before it was lights out for her, I imagine. I don't think the cougar should automatically be killed unless she keeps coming back to the neighborhood.
That's really sad. We had a barn own come down and take a swipe at our golden retriever. We figured he needed glasses since our dog isn't small. We have a fenced yard but we still watch our dog at night. I can see how this person wouldn't think twice about letting his dog into his own yard. How many of us expect a cougar to be waiting in the shadows??? I don't think it should be shot either. I think it was just doing what it does and that it was just a tragic coincidence his meal was this person's pet. I truly am sorry for the pet owner. I would be devastated. I probably would want the cat shot too honestly but we can't just shoot things that annoy us.
I'm sure killing this mountain lion will deter other hungry mountain lions from doing the same. Â
@lakeview exactly. If you only have one dog, do not let it outside at night if you live with wildlife
I think the Washington State Fish and Wildlife head should be fired. Wild animals should not be shot and killed just because stupid pet owners let their pets wander outside unattended.
@jd94b I agree that pet owners should be more responsible and that the cougar shouldn't be killed, provided that it's not sick/emancipated. It's not typical of a cougar to be hiding so close to homes just waiting for Fido or Fluffy to come by. That all said, I don't think the head of Fish and Wildlife should be fired. There are far more people above him who make these decisions (i.e. the DFW Commission, Legislature, etc.).
"Mann says it will be killed if it is found because it killed a pet"
This is BS. You give Wildlife Dept guns and all they want to do is shoot them. Eagles can pickup small pet animals too so are we going to start killing Eagles that get caught??
@Habaneroguy This is not a case of trigger happy cops. What the lame news people always fail to do is tell the WHOLE story. They like to leave stuff out to get everyone all excited. It's policy to kill a cougar or bear if it attacks a pet or livestock (and of course people). He's just doin' his job. They may not always agree with it, but that's the way it is. Let's hope the cougar is long gone by now! :)
@Wildflower Girl @Habaneroguy: I can see killing a cougar or other predator that attacks livestock, but a dog?! A dog isn't worth 2 cents, serves no useful purpose (unless it's a "working dog") and there are plenty more where that one came from.
Cle Elum residents came to the Cougar, not the other way around. You lose a pet to the wildlife? Welcome to nature. It is enraging to hear that the government would kill a wild animal that lives in the forest.
@Fugonn As the apex life forms on this planet, we have the ability to kill the wildlife. Nature, welcome to humanity.
The government kills the wild animal that has learned (by succeeding at it) to kill domestic animals. They do that with livestock too, sometimes. If you want to be enraged, there's way worse things to be enraged about.
@Omalley @Fugonn "learned" to kill domestic animals? LOL any predator will kill what it can it doesn't learn to it's instinct. Such as my large dogs will kill cats and other small animals. i didn't teach them this, it's instinct.
I had an Elkhound that was really good at killing rats. Good dog! And yet, we had pet rats that she used to let crawl around on her, supervised, of course. Then, she figured out how to kill moles without digging up the yard. I don't know how. She could smell them or something. But she was not hostile to any other small animal. I guess four thousand years of cohabitation with man takes some of the wild out of them.
@Northend @Omalley @Fugonn My last shepherd had it out for squirrels, had quite the little squirrel graveyard going. I always felt very bad, but I swear to you that the squirrels started it! She was a great dog, just as long as you werent a squirrel.
@Omalley @Fugonn "As the apex life forms" humans also have the cognitive ability to restrain ourselves from our base urges. You seem to suggest that having the ability also gives one the right. If you want to live in the forest, I'm all for it. If you then want to complain about living in the forest, your an idiot. Â
Also, what enrages me may not enrage you, but, with all due respect, your opinion re: me being enraged is ignorant, at best; as such, stuff your opinion.
I can understand killing a big cat if it attacked a person who stepped outside their home, but not for killing a pet that was let outside. Â Â Pets are prey. Â Don't want your pet to be eaten keep it inside as much as possible and if it has to go outside be with it. Â Â Another option, get two or three medium sized or larger dogs. Â Â One cat can't take on a pack and will run off.Â
@Murigen I agree with your post 100 percent (and everyone else who has said the same.) I am sorry that this family lost their dog, but the fact is - if you live in an area populated by cougars, common sense would tell you NOT to let your pet out alone.
@DawgFan72 @Murigen  I've lost many cats and countless chickens to predators (coyotes, hawks and a suspected cougar or bobcat).  I haven't filed any reports.  My neighbor hasn't filed any either and he watched his three dogs convince a cougar to move on.   Where wildlife is concerned pets are prey.  Take precautions but understand that if you live in these parts your pet might become someone's dinner.Â
I suggest everyone send a note to Fish and Wildlife. Â Flood their inbox, maybe just maybe they'll change their minds.Â
Leave the cougar Alone !  these people choose to move into cougars territory , and its just doing what cougars do. So screwed up , just a mother trying to feed her cubs. People have too many damm dogs anyway.Â
just because it killed a pet the cougar will be killed also?
here's an idea - don't just let your dog outside unattended, especially living close to nature. sorry for the loss of a pet but I feel worse about the idea of killing a wild animal just doing what they do..
If you're going to live on the edge of a wilderness you better be prepared to possibly loose a pet or two be it to coyotes or cougars, heck even bears. It's not the animals fault that it saw a very easy meal and took advantage, especially if that animal has babies to feed.
@MoonDragonWitch We live in the woods and I can no longer have cats unless I keep them inside and for me that is not an option....we have a large dog.....out here little critters just don't survive : /  Poor cougar is going to be killed just for being a cougar....although I am always sorry for the loss of a beloved pet....We moved here with cats....after two heart breaking losses...we realized....small pets are not compatible with our current environment. Â
I cannot tell you how HEARTBROKEN and extremely traumatized I would be if this happened to one of my pets, and I am so sad for the dog and the owner. Â It's not the cougar's fault, though, for doing what it evolved to do. Â
@belsnickles EXACTLY, how sad, But its nature
The cougar was just being a cougar! Leave it alone! Instead, go out and get yourself a real dog that can put up a fight!
@factchekr - I hope you're not assuming every small dog can't put up a fight? ;) I have a dog that's half fox terrier and half pomeranian - she would put up one helluva fight with a cougar - she might not win in the end as maybe not most dogs. She would definitely go down with cougar skin in her teeth or the cougar might not want to mess with her. LOL...  She has every domestic cat - and most are twice or three times her size - that tries to come into the yard on the run.Â
You have a point! Terriers are little scrappers!
@Elaine2 @factchekr Terriers are ferocious little competitors. I've always admired their spunk.
@factchekr dumb, no dog can beat a cougar
@hello @factchekr Cougars, like most predators, are creatures of opportunity. If they think it is a fight they will be injured in. they will not attack, unless there is something wrong with the animal. They go after the weak and small first. I would not send a pack of dogs after a cougar that would defend itself, however, a larger dog is not so easy prey and therefore less likely to be a target. I have a large dog, and while she might not survive a cougar attack, she would be less likely to be attacked because of her size, and a few good bites and the cougar might decide that it is not worth the effort. Even animals instinctively know that wounded in the wild is often as good as dead.
@hello You don't read so well, do you. Do you see the words "beat the cougar" in my writing? I'll tell you, Brainiac, I'm a lot better versed on cougars than you are. I'm surrounded by them.