Building a life # 24. Cougar bait.

Although this is an island, we are close enough to big Vancouver Island that deer, cougars and bears swim across to add us to their happy hunting ground. A lovely natural idea except when one has small children and farm animals that are at risk of being attacked. ( we even have recently had attacks on people from the many deer on the island) One night during a time when cougar tracks have been seen just down in the valley below we lock up our goats in the barn and bring our new border-collie Diggity into the house. Cougars love dogs all to bits.

Later that dark night Heather decides to take a letter down to the mail box at the end of our road. She will not have her life dictated to by rumours! However, just to cover her bets, she rousts the dog from beside the woodstove and takes her for a W*A*L*K. ( Oh, you lucky dog!) Her theory of course, is that any cougar will take the dog before it attacks her. Diggity: cougar bait.

Off they go into the dark. Soon, too soon, Diggity is back scratching frantically at the front door to be let in. But no Heather! Heather arrives shortly later quite out of breath. She had gone half way to the mailbox before she noticed that the dog had already turned around and run for home. Had it smelled cougar? Did that leave Heather alone in the dark with a creature that would settle for her if a dog meal should fail? AHHHHH, all the way home!