A man walking his small dog in Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday night was confronted by a mountain lion that apparently saw the dog as its next meal.
The cougar crossed the street and walked toward Juan Gutierrez, who was walking his 14-year-old Pomeranian mix named Riley, as reported by KDVR.
“I’m pretty sure he (Riley) thought it was another dog,” Gutierrez told KDVR in an on-camera interview. “I yelled to stay back, and I yelled it four to five times and nothing, the cat doesn’t hesitate.”
With the mountain lion still approaching, Gutierrez tried something else.
“I just flashed a light at its face and once it was too distracted, I kicked him,” he said. “He looked at me and then he looked up towards the sky. I don’t know if he was seeing stars or something.”
Gutierrez then slowly retreated with the dog, and without further incident.
Gutierrez is convinced it is the same mountain lion that was reported walking the streets a half-mile away two nights before.
While inside his car, Evan Price captured video of that cougar strolling near 16th and Iris Avenue, as reported by KDVR.
That mountain lion appeared to be limping. Some suspect it was seeking an easy meal, in this case Riley.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife told KDVR that its personnel were unable to locate the mountain lion after the encounter with the man and his dog.
For Riley, it was another survival story. The dog has previously survived a black bear attack, a dog attack, and cancer. And now, a potential mountain lion attack.
Feature photo courtesy of Evan Price via KDVR.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Mountain lion seems to be ‘seeing stars’ after dog owner kicks it
