State wildlife officials euthanize cougar near Bellingham after attack on dog

BELLINGHAM – State game officials trapped and killed a cougar Saturday after it attacked a family’s dog in the yard of their Sudden Valley home, and it’s possibly the same animal that’s been seen repeatedly over the past few months in suburban Geneva, Washington.

Video from the residents’ doorbell camera early Saturday shows the big cat trotting down the driveway with the small dog in its mouth, then quickly climbing a tree across the street. Seconds later, a man races off the porch in pursuit, then throws rocks at the cougar, which drops the dog.

“I heard a couple of yelps, and there’s this cougar there with my Izzy in its mouth. It’s just so surreal,” Denise Buchanan told the Bellingham Herald in a phone interview.

Izzy, a Chihuahua-dachshund-Yorkie mix, was resting at home Monday after emergency surgery for puncture wounds on its head and neck, Buchanan said.

“Izzy’s hanging on and doing well. So far, so good. We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan said the attack came as she let Izzy out to do her business about 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The dog always stays a few steps from the front door in their quiet semiwooded neighborhood near the golf course a few hundred yards away from Lake Whatcom.

“We usually open the door and let Izzy straight out first thing. This was daylight, like 7 or 7:30. This was just eight steps from my front door,” she said.

She called her husband, Jack, a “hero” for chasing the cougar and making it drop Izzy.

“(The cougar) was just sitting there hissing at him. Then it jumped out of the tree and ran between two houses,” she said.

Denise scooped up the injured dog, and Jack drove to an emergency veterinarian, who stitched the wounds and checked for internal damage.

By the time they returned an hour or so later, their neighborhood was crawling with state Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel and curious bystanders, Buchanan said.

“WDFW Police officers and wildlife conflict staff placed a trap near the incident and successfully trapped a male cougar weighing 145 pounds a few hours later. The animal was lethally removed by an officer. WDFW will continue to monitor the area south of Lake Whatcom and north of Galbraith Mountain, Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Becky Elder told the Herald in an email.

Recent cougar encounters

Residents of Geneva and across Sudden Valley – from the golf course to areas near the Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve – have been reporting cougar sightings since December, according to Fish and Wildlife, social media in Sudden Valley and callers to the Herald.

Elder said the reports might all be the same big male.

“It is probable due to the size that it is the same cougar seen in that area; although we cannot definitively confirm that it is the same animal,” Elder said in an email.

Geneva neighborhood sightings

Fish and Wildlife’s Chase Gunnell told the Herald last week that they’d stepped up patrols because of recent sightings.

“Sightings or video alone are typically not cause for removing a cougar under wildlife management protocols if the cat has not depredated on pets or livestock or acted aggressively toward people. WDFW Police and wildlife conflict specialists have been monitoring the situation closely for new developments or abnormal behavior. This includes increased patrols in the area as well as outreach to neighbors, schools, and community groups,” Gunnell said in an email on Friday.

“WDFW responded quickly to a call from near Lookout Mountain yesterday, Feb. 26, of cougars passing through in the daylight, likely an adult and two juveniles traveling together. Considering this report of increased daytime activity, we are currently assessing the situation, continuing to patrol the area, and planning potential next steps,” Gunnell said.

Gunnell said residents should report cougar sightings by calling 877-933-9847 or submitting an online report.

“For urgent public safety issues or people in immediate danger, call 911. If needed, ask the dispatcher to connect you with Washington Fish and Wildlife Police,” he said.

More information on cougars in Washington is available on WDFW’s webpage.