A cougar attack at a Foothills County home has left a small dog with significant injuries.
The mountain lion attack occurred at a ranch near Millarville on Sept. 22 at approximately 7:57 p.m., said owner Becca Strasser.
"My husband had just gotten home and he let our dogs out, and they were just going to hang out on our driveway... then he just heard screaming, he ran up there and our Scottish terrier was literally being attacked by a cougar."
The dog, named Wednesday, survived the encounter thanks to the family's other dog, a German pointer, chasing the cougar away.
"I went straight to the vet clinic with the dog," said Strasser.
Wednesday was left with significant injuries, including bites and claw marks, but is in stable condition.
"This cougar attacked our dog right on our driveway near the road, which is not a typical place that you'd expect a cougar to be stalking around," said Strasser, adding that the family is installing more trail cameras on the property in light of the attack.
"My husband went out to see if the cougar was still around because it ran in the direction of our horses and then he didn't see it... less than 20 minutes later, it was back pacing around our driveway again."
The incident, which happened approximately 15 minutes from Okotoks, comes after a similar encounter by Foothills resident Jessica Low earlier this month, in which a cougar killed her pet cat on Sept. 10 and returned that same day.
"We have big cats out this way and it's not uncommon to see them... but for it to come right back is very concerning," said Strasser.
"We had known that one of our neighbours had one of his goats eaten by a cougar earlier this summer," she continued. "When we were talking to him, he mentioned very casually that the one cougar that ate his goat had hung around his house a lot.
"The fact that a big cougar isn't afraid and came back to the same area where he knew we were, it's just not ideal... if a wild animal isn't afraid of people, then it'll get closer and closer."
Alberta Fish and Wildlife did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication, but advises the community that while cougars are elusive and rarely interact with humans, it is important to report sightings at 1-800-642-3800.
