Sean and Shannon Leach live in the highlands near the banks of the Snake River in Summit County, Colorado. On Saturday, January 27, Fergus, a 14-month-old car mix, was taken from his backyard by a roaming mountain lion. Miraculously, the dog survived the harrowing ordeal, but the Leach family tracked the lion through knee-deep snow and fired multiple warning shots at the large predator.
“The whole time we were tracking him, we didn't feel any fear for ourselves. That cat wasn't going to take our dog,” said Sean Leach. said later. summit daily. “We were determined to get him back. Who would have thought that facing a cougar five feet in front of him wouldn't completely petrify him?”
The couple was eating dinner around 7:30 p.m. when they heard strange cries coming from their backyard. summit daily I will report it. Shannon did a quick sweep with a flashlight, but all she found was blood. The couple then set off in pursuit of their pet.
Sean told the outlet that he decided to crawl through deep snow to avoid postholes as he searched for his dog in the dark. Shannon walked upright and trudged through the snow behind her. As they crossed the frozen Snake River and neared the edge of the Keystone Ranch golf course, Sean recognized the familiar glow of Fergus's fluorescent collar in the flashlight light. Then she saw a mountain lion hovering over Fergus.
“I (screamed) to Shannon, 'Fergus is still alive.' We have to save him,” she said summit daily. “I'm yelling at Shannon, 'Shoot! Shoot!' It was hissing at me with its mouth open.” Her husband fired one shot into the ground, but the cat “I stopped,” she recalled. As he approaches the lion and fires a second shot, the lion retreats into the forest and Fergus walks towards them, one of his eyes hanging out of his socket.
The couple called their neighbors, Boyd and Deborah Mitchell, who drove her to an emergency veterinary clinic in the nearby town of Lakewood. Upon arrival, Fergus was placed on the operating table. Veterinarians were unable to save his eyes, but he survived without major neurological or limb damage, Leach said. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) searched for the lion, but it was never found.
Read next: Video of a mountain lion knocking on a guest room window with a pet cat in its mouth
According to the CPW website, Colorado is home to an estimated 3,800 to 4,400 adult mountain lions. “Lions often stalk their prey and attack them by lunging at them from behind,” the agency said. “Their powerful bites can crush the windpipe or break the neck of their prey.” CPW is encouraging people living in lion country to install outdoor floodlights and monitor children outdoors. We recommend that you do so. The agency says pets attract lions and must be kept under control at all times.
