Skip to content

Cougar attacks dog in West Vancouver backyard

Conservation officers are warning the public after a cougar attacked a dog in West Vancouver Monday.

Conservation officers are warning the public after a cougar attacked a dog in West Vancouver Monday.

Nikki Johnson and her fiancé were doing yard work at her uncle’s rented home on the 600 block of Stevens Drive just before noon when they noticed his weimaraner Grayson had wandered out of eyeshot. As they moved into the backyard, which adjoins Hadden Creek, they heard Grayson yelp.

That’s when they spotted the cougar just steps from the back porch.

“(Grayson) was crying but he was able to run to us. My boyfriend just looked the cougar straight in the eye and it decided to turn around and go back into the bush,” Johnson said.

The commotion even drew four coyotes out of their nearby den.

“It was really weird,” Johnson said.

Grayson was bleeding from a number of claw and tooth punctures in his hindquarters. They took him to the vet where he received about $500 in stitches. The pup is now convalescing at home following the run-in.

“He’s on antibiotics,” Johnson said. “He’s able to walk and he’s eating. He’ll have the cone on for 10 days and then he’ll have the stitches taken out.”

Conservation officer Kent Popjes visited the scene, although, he said, there isn’t much the service can do but warn the public.

“From our standpoint, we attended and were unable to locate the cougar. It is natural as far as cougars go with taking on a dog as a potential food source. For the public, we want to get the reminder out: there is wildlife in the area. There are cougars and coyotes. Keep your pets on leash and monitor your pets and children,” he said.

In that particular area of West Vancouver, many of the homes do not have fences, and dog owners can be complacent, he added.

Popjes said he has had a lot of reports of cougars in West Vancouver this year but in almost all cases, they turned out to be bobcats.

Johnson said the family may start looking around for a new home to rent, over worries Grayson will be attacked again.

“If the cougar was so brave he came all the way up to the deck, he could have been ill or severely hungry,” she said. “He was not scared at all.”

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service advises residents to stay calm if they spot a cougar in their neighbourhood, and to bring children and pets inside. Pets should also never be fed outdoors and yards should be kept free of attractants they may draw in animals that cougars prey on.

Anyone who suspects a cougar is hanging around in a residential area and is threatening to people should call the province at 1-877-952-7277.