Owner saves pet dog from cougar attack in Canmore

CANMORE – Fish and Wildlife officers are on the lookout for a large adult cougar that attacked a small dog near downtown Canmore late Friday night.

The brazen attack is the first known incident in the heart of the community and wildlife officials are advising the public to travel in groups and carry bear spray.

Shortly before midnight, a man was walking his two dogs on-leash near a Safeway store when a cougar emerged from the darkness and attacked the smaller of the two dogs.

The man, whose identity has not been released, fought off the cougar, saving the 15-kilogram dog’s life.

“The guy had a bigger dog and a smaller dog, and the cougar went after the smaller dog. He fought the cougar off and the dog escaped with a few scratches,” said District Fish and Wildlife officer Ron Wiebe.

The cougar was last seen running west by Railway Avenue.

Fish and Wildlife officers spent much of Saturday hunting the cougar, calling in tracking dogs to help with the search. However, they found no tracks or kill sites to indicate the cougar was in the area.

“We searched most of the town, but didn’t find many people who had seen the cat,” said Wiebe.

Officers will attempt to capture the cougar, but Wiebe said it’s too early to tell if the cat will be killed or relocated.

“We’ll capture and try to remove it from the area. We’ll determine if it’s a cat with a history.”

Five weeks ago, a cougar killed a dog in nearby Morley, but it was never found.

Two weeks ago, a cougar was spotted allegedly hunting rabbits on the edge of Canmore near Elk Run Boulevard, but it too disappeared. It’s unknown at this time if it was the same cougar.

Kim Titchener, program director with Bow Valley Wildsmart, said the incident is a great concern for the town and she suspects the cougar is desperate.

“It’s not normal to have cougars this close into town. Last year, we had a couple incidents where a cougar attacked a dog and another attacked a child near Barrier Lake.”

She advises the public to be aware of their surroundings and take the proper precautions.

“Keep children close by, carry bear spray, which has been used on cougars, and keep dogs on a short leash. When cougars see erratic movement, they see prey,” Titchener said.

She said there have been multiple incidents over the years of cougar attacks on dogs, and notes

“The community monitoring report shows there is an increase in cougar conflict in Canmore. They’re more comfortable killing in the townsite. That puts us in direct conflict.”

Justin Brisbane is a reporter for the Rocky Mountain Outlook.