Yet another off-leash dog incident has led to another cougar attack in Canmore.
On Friday (May 3), a Canmore man was biking the Montane Traverse trail with friends, allowing his dog to run free. Near Silvertip, the dog took off about 35 metres into the woods. The owner heard a yelp and saw a large cat pinning his dog to the ground. He chased off the cougar and found his dog laying limp in the woods motionless, in a state of shock.
The dog revived quickly, however, and was rushed to a veterinarian where it was checked for puncture wounds and released. The man called RCMP, who contacted Fish and Wildlife to investigate the incident. Wildlife officials did not close the trail, erect warning signs or press charges against the dog owner. The name of the owner and the type of dog were not released to the press.
Fish and Wildlife Officer Dave Dickson said there are always cougars in that section of the valley so no warning signs were required. He noted that the owner’s actions could lead to a bigger problem, as the cougar could develop a taste for canines.
“The only thing that’s happening is people are teaching this cougar to hate dogs,” Dickson said.
Dickson said in this case it’s unlikely the cougar was stalking the dog and could have been defending a kill in the region. If the cougar learns dogs are easy prey, it could attack more. That’s why it’s important to keep pets on-leash and be alert on trails, he said.
“The dog smelled something and probably had to check it out. The cougar could have had a kill in the area and wasn’t going to put up with another off-leash dog,” Dickson said.
This is the third cougar incident in the area over the past six weeks. Three weeks ago, a cougar followed a woman and her Akida for half an hour.
Dickson believes this could have been the same cougar, however, it’s impossible to tell as the animal had no distinguishing features. He’s asking the public to “use that grey matter between their ears,” and show more caution on the trails.
Cougar incidents have been concentrated in the Montane Traverse/Benchlands section of Canmore, and things could get worse in May and June as bears move downslope and elk calving begins.
“Double jeopardy is coming up right away. Bears will be out in full swing and those slopes that dry up first will have the best grass,” Dickson said. “This will happen down low in the valley. The elk will be dropping their calves right away from now until June. People may be encountering elk soon enough… it’s going to be fast and furious for a few weeks.”
Bow Valley WildSmart program director Kim Titchener said sadly it can take years for a safety message to take hold, which could be why so many dogs are still off-leash in dangerous parts of the valley.
“We don’t see shifts in short periods of time. It can take years. Bears were hand-fed in the ’70s and now that activity would be shameful. That took a lot of public education to change, but the key is continuing education,” Titchener said.
