A Boise resident and homeowner in East Fork's Thunder Meadows had the scare of her life Sunday night. Kelly Beach's miniature pinscher, Ella, was caught in the jaws of a cougar, and Beach wasn't sure she would get her back.
About 10:45 p.m. Beach let her other dog, a Doberman pinscher, into the backyard. The Doberman began to bark wildly, prompting Beach to put Ella on a line before letting her out. The line was staked into the patio of Beach's house.
Within less than a minute, Beach heard Ella barking as well.
"I saw the leash go taunt," Beach said. "And I just started pulling and pulling, and suddenly the cougar came into the light with my dog in his mouth."
Beach, along with her daughter and husband, screamed and pulled until the cougar dropped the dog and ran off into the dark.
"I wasn't sure I would get my dog back," Beach said. "I thought I'd get a piece of her back. But for some reason he let her go."
In late July, a group of three cougars was spotted in east Hailey, and the recent sighting was not the first in East Fork. Sheila Liermann, also a resident of Thunder Meadows, which is about four miles east of state Highway 75, said one family reported seeing a cougar in their backyard in May or June. Liermann said she called the Department of Fish and Game but was told that unless the cougar was actively stalking a human or an animal, nothing could be done.
After the Beach incident, Liermann called Fish and Game again. Randy Smith, Fish and Game regional wildlife manager, was dispatched to the scene, but according to Beach and Liermann, nothing has been done to track down the cougar.
"They told us that normally these cats just appear and move on," Liermann said. "They are hoping this one will move on."
Beach is not so sure.
"I felt like this cat was not afraid of us," Beach said. "He did not run off from the floodlights or my Doberman. It took us all screaming our heads off to get it to let go."
As of press deadline on Tuesday, Smith could not be reached for comment.
For now the Beach family has retreated to Boise where they plan to stay until something is done about the cougar.
"I'm just amazed that Ella is alive today," Beach said. "We got very, very lucky. I just don't want the cougar to move on to another yard with another dog or, even worse, a little kid."
