Puppies almost got eaten by a cougar!

I can’t be sure,

but I wouldn’t doubt it.

Here’s the crazy story!

There I was, sitting in my usual spot at the dinette typing away - completely consumed by yesterday’s newsletter.

All of a sudden, the wind picked up like a banshee, carrying an eerie foreboding that sent shivers down my spine.

At the same time,

the dogs began barking like mad.

The puppies had been playing outside with Yeti, but now it was twilight and the wind was up; time for me to get the pups back into their kennel for the night.

The dogs continued their tirade.

There was something different about this chorus of canines, though.

This barking was not just, “Hey, I wanna play, too.”

It was more like, “Come quick! There is something wrong here.”

Then, I heard a high-pitched squeal from the back kennels.

My heart skipped a beat, as I raced to get my shoes on and check the dogs.

Luckily, the dog cabins are right outside our front door.

I stood on the porch and surveyed the landscape looking for anything immediately wrong.

The dogs continued to furiously sound an alarm, but they were all accounted for.

The puppies had been hiding out in the food prep area of cabin #5.

When they saw me, they came running.

Yeti, hid behind me, peeking out from time to time to scan the forest.

Something was definitely not right.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I sheltered Yeti in the house and quickly corralled the puppies into their kennel.

All dogs secure. CHECK!

A small sense of relief washed over me, but I knew I still had to solve the mystery of what had spooked the dogs.

I looked around a bit with my headlamp, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

The dogs quieted, as the wind howled on.

Not sure what to think, I went back inside and bolted the door.

I put on my hat, coat, and boots.

Then, I took out our handgun and high-powered flashlight.

It was time to get serious in case something had been lurking for an easy meal.

Armed up and ready for anything, I let Yeti out and we went on the hunt.

I first checked the dog food area where the puppies had been hiding.

Sure enough, I had forgotten to close the dog food bins from earlier.

Bears, cougars, foxes, and other predators can smell that a mile away.

I usually never fail to close them, but it only takes once.

Mental note to self:

Double check the dog food bins

before turning in for the night.

As I was heading out of the food prep area, Yeti looked back at me as if to make sure I was safe, then whipped her head around, barking furiously toward the home camp.

Without warning, a tan-colored streak shot out from a nearby thicket and turned sharply into the grove of evergreen trees.

The wind muffled any sound.

Yeti puffed her little 6-month-old self up as much as she could and charged forward.

WOW!!

Did she ever surprise the heck out of me!

We rarely have an opportunity to see our dogs react to real danger.

It was amazing to see brave, confident Yeti taking matters into her own hands.

She only went a few feet, then stood still, looking out into the night.

I shined the high-powered flashlight over the glade.

No green or yellow eyes shining back at me.

Whatever it was had disappeared.

A few moments passed, then the dogs rang the alarm again… only this time toward the back of the kennels.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Still holding the gun, I walked with external confidence (and inner foreboding) to the rear of the kennels.

I shined the bright flashlight into the forest behind the dogs.

As clear as the moon on a cloudless night, two yellowish-green eyes stared back at me.

Unmoving.

Not blinking.

Eerily menacing.

My heart skipped a beat.

I froze.

The eyes froze.

Time stood still.

Then, I finally came to my senses.

My inner warrior kicked in as the adrenaline surged to my limbs.

I must protect the dogs from danger.

I called out in a blood-curdling scream hoping to scare away the threat.

The eyes did not move.

I shouted again at the top of my lungs.

Still no movement from the eyes.

I had no other choice.

I slid the safety off, aimed the .38 caliber handgun, and FIRED!

The shot reverberated off the mountains, echoed through the valley, and lingered in the air.

My right ear tingled from the sheer intensity of the sound.

The dogs’ cackling instantly ceased.

But the eyes remained still and frozen on me.

Now, I don’t know if you have ever had such an experience before, but if not… trust me… it’s the most intimidating feeling I have ever felt.

And I still had NO IDEA what animal was out there.

Undeterred, I positioned the gun again, this time making sure to aim well, then squeezed.

Again, the sound burst out like a thunderclap, ripping through the air with a deafening force that seemed to momentarily silence the surrounding world.

The eyes turned and disappeared.

Only to peer back in my direction about 20 feet to the left.

WHY WASN’T THIS ANIMAL INTIMIDATED BY THESE SUDDEN LOUD BURSTS??

Call me idiotic or call me brave, I don’t know which, but I held the flashlight up, the gun at the ready, and walked toward the eyes.

I was determined to find out what was out there… and possibly get closer to hit the target should it be a predator.

As I drew nearer, the eyes remained locked on me... unmoving.

Finally, the flashlight’s bright light could make out the form of the menacing creature standing so firmly in resolve.

Tall prick ears.

Round tan-colored barrel body.

Long legs.

And a fluffy white tail?!

IT WAS A FREAKIN’ DEER, YOU GUYS!!!

What kind of crazy-a$$ deer with a death wish would stand there, still as a statue, and get shot at with a freakin’ handgun?!

It eventually MEANDERED away on its own sweet time.

I was a lousy shot, apparently,

but in my defense, it was dark.

The dogs, however, were silent as church mice for the rest of the night.

I think I scared the crap out of them, to be honest.

When I relayed the story to Jay, he thought the first encounter with the tan blur bursting out of the thicket was a cougar.

I did see a footprint without nails that looked like it could have been from a cougar, but it was a smaller print, so perhaps it was Yeti??

I am not sure.

What I can now say with confidence, though, is that in a real dangerous life-or-death situation, our dogs will tap into some ancestral power of protection and brave the unknown to save their family.

This is the only time I have really witnessed it in all these years of breeding these dogs.

But there you have it.

Now I can say the American Dirus dog will protect its family in the face of real danger.

If you can classify crazy stalker deer as a danger.

Anyway, if you are looking for an otherwise calm, gentle, devoted dog, apply here:

https://direwolfdogs.com/puppy-application/

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.