Andover Family Believes Cougar Killed Lab

[Weed Shark]

Here is a link: Fox News Cougar Story. Watch Glover's news report on the left side. I dislike how officials and news people try to paint a different picture...like maybe a car hit the dog; I'd like go over the evidence with the guy who suggested that. Isn't it in the public’s best interest to know?

A side note...I'm convinced a cat watched us take the dog out back on a leash to "do her business" for 4-5 nights in a row last week in Plymouth. To make a long story short, definitely a predator, always lurking and watching. I need a trail-cam and some meat, although it likely moved on now.

[jwmiller33]

who said it was a cougar? like who came up with that conclusion? because it sounded like the home owner of the dog didn't know what it was. is that foot print in the sand the only evidence?

[RumRiverRat]

I know there is at least one maybe two cougars roaming Northern Anoka County.

I have had 2 sighting in the last few years.

[skee0025]

I know there is at least one maybe two cougars roaming Northern Anoka County.

I have had 2 sighting in the last few years.

Shhh, dont let the DNR hear that, they will insist that what you saw was a possum or maybe a fox. Unless you get a picture from a distance of like 5 feet or you hit one with a car they deny that they exist in Minnesota

[leech~~]

I think their Shi Tzu "Cookie" did it! Maybe she had enough of him being the favorite!

[icehousebob]

A friend just told me that his co-worker had a cougar come within 20 yards of his deer stand last week, just north of the metro area. They are definitely around.

But I keep wondering; if the DNR says they're not in Minnesota, why do they have a law saying we can't shoot them? We should have the same law for BigFoots and Mammoths.

[Weed Shark]

who said it was a cougar? like who came up with that conclusion? because it sounded like the home owner of the dog didn't know what it was. is that foot print in the sand the only evidence?

The headline is the "family thinks" it was a cougar and the news anchors state that "the owners have a pretty good idea," at the beginning of the story...The paw print is good evidence. So are the broken neck, puncture wounds, and the fact that it happened at night.

Was it some other form of cat? Maybe, I personally wouldn't bet on the bear, car, or any three-headed Bigfoot type of scenarios.

[96trigger]

The DNR does not insist that they don't exist in Minnesota.

They don't however, acknowledge a significant population.

If they came out and said, yes, we have a healthy population of big cats, can you imagine, the calls. Every Tom, Richard, and Harry that saw a big tom cat/coyote/fox would be calling saying that they saw a couger.

Heck, last year hunters tried staging a couger attack on deer. I have no problem with what the DNR is doing. They are not denying existance, but they are not encouraging it either.

[Surface Tension]

"broken neck, busted ribs, and puncture wounds in her left leg. Mikini died a few minutes later".

Broken ribs by a cougar attack, not likely. Even less likely a cougar could break ribs and cause enough blunt trauma to damage internal organs and cause death. They simply don't kill that way.

Broken ribs with enough internal damage to organs causing death from getting hit by a car happens everyday.

[BobT]

Originally Posted By: RumRiverRat

I know there is at least one maybe two cougars roaming Northern Anoka County.

I have had 2 sighting in the last few years.

Shhh, dont let the DNR hear that, they will insist that what you saw was a possum or maybe a fox. Unless you get a picture from a distance of like 5 feet or you hit one with a car they deny that they exist in Minnesota

Absolutley untrue!!! They don't deny they exist in MN. There's enough people out there that couldn't identify a cougar from a black bear so they won't just take the word of everyone's claim either.

[Weed Shark]

Broken ribs with enough internal damage to organs causing death from getting hit by a car happens everyday.

The lab died of a broken neck, not broken ribs. Cats are far more likely to leave puncture wounds than a car. A dog with a broken neck is not likely to wander all the way from the street to the sandbox...to die next to the paw print.

[brittman]

Ya ND G&F claimed forever that lions were not real. Now there is a controlled season in the Badlands and an open season across the balance of ND.

ND does not believe they need a sustainable population of these cats anywhere in ND except maybe a small few in the Badlands.

Lions moving through should be fair game. There is absolutely no reason why mountain lions / pumas / cougars should be protected in Minnesota. Open it up.

[Surface Tension]

Do we know for sure the dog has a broken neck? How did they determine that?

If the spinal cord was severed by a cat the dog would have been dead instantly.

"Mikini died a few minutes later"

I assume that means after they found the dog.

Back to the broken ribs. How did the ribs get broken?

That there pretty much eliminates the possibility of a cat.

It would be much more likely the dog could occur that type damage if it was railroaded by whitetail buck.

Even more likely that it was hit by a car.

[CrowRiverRat83]

Hmmm...whitetail buck? Never really thought about that. Anything is possible.

[Harmonica Bear]

Total hyperbole! I'm going with the car or something else on this one.

[stumper]

Actually the broken ribs are very much a sign of a large cat. Have you ever seen a cat kill something? They latch onto the neck and use their rear legs to kick the heck out of what they are trying to kill. I cant imagine the power a cat that size would have in its back legs.

[almberg]

The track in the sandbox looks like the right rear footprint of a black bear. It's hard to tell the size of the track without anything for size comparison, but I see five toes lined up in the right configuration and a long pad. Not to say that a lion couldn't have done this but that print is not a cat track.

[Harmonica Bear]

Cougar.... this years model. A few years ago it would have been a Timber Wolf. (actually, probably a better chance of that).

[nofishfisherman]

It sure doesn't sound like a cougar to me. The injuries don't match a cougars hunt/kill style.

Also, you'd think if a cougar were responsible it would have killed for a meal and then would not have left a half dead meal laying there. It would more then likely finish it off and begin carrying it off.

It could be a car, sounds like more blunt force trauma then anything. The puncture wounds on the leg could have been caused by many different things if a car were to hit it. The buck idea may not be that far fetched either.

Its all a guessing game.

[almberg]

I agree harmonica. Of all the predators out there; a dog has a better chance of being killed by wolves than it does by bears or lions. Most bears and cats will avoid dogs.

[leech~~]

Lions and Tigers and Bears oh My! I think to many people need to stop watching so much Monster Quest!

[Weed Shark]

I believe a hard swat from a bear or cougar can break ribs.

Here is a list of Plymouth/Maple Grove cougar sightings I've heard about:

1). A neighbor down the street saw a cougar twice last summer in their backyard.

2). My wife heard a cougar last summer. She was awake. It woke me up, but I can't 100 percent verify it, because I was still groggy.

3). A friend who is a local policeman saw a one on a Plymouth walking trail this summer. He said it was 100 percent, without a doubt, a cougar.

4) A few years ago, my hunting buddy saw a cougar running across a corn field in Maple Grove.

5). A few years ago, he also found a dead deer in a tree in Maple Grove.

6). About four years ago, the DNR confirmed a cougar killed a raccoon in a backyard tree two houses over from my folk's house in Plymouth.

7). The first DNR confirmed cougar kill I heard about in Plymouth was 20-25 years ago.

Outside of the metro:

8). I talked to a guy who believed a cougar attacked his deer archery target.

9). A neighbor where I deer hunt was shadowed by a cougar leaving their deer stand last year.

I believe all of these stories.

I think the cougar population is getting more significant all the time. People deserve to be informed and aware.

Fielding nutty phone calls is unfortunately part of the DNR’s job. I don’t here Homeland Security crying about calls from wacky citizens…on a much larger scale. Suck it up, DNR.

[croixflats]

Lions and Tigers and Bears oh My! I think to many people need to stop watching so much Monster Quest!

Its the NFC north black and blue division making a come back with vengeance, taking no prisoners! With the exception of the tigers of course.

[Dave S]

After watching the video, that is without a doubt, NOT A COUGAR TRACK. If it's even from an animal in the first place. It's a sandbox and any sequence of events can appear to be something suspicious.

There's no evidence given from an autopsy on the dog to verify the injuries are from a specific source.

[Snag]

7 or 8 years ago, a cougar was in plymouth/maple grove. It was captured on surveillance camera at a business off of Bass Lake Road.