COLORADO SPRINGS MAN SUFFERS MINOR INJURIES IN CONFRONTATION WITH MOUNTAIN LION

Mike Hurd, 46, of Colorado Springs was treated and released from a local hospital Monday night after a confrontation with a mountain lion. Hurd told the Colorado Division of Wildlife he went outside about 9 p.m. to investigate a commotion in his back yard and saw an animal attacking his small dog.
Hurd thought it was a German Shepherd attacking his Scottie Terrier and entered the fray to intervene on his dog�s behalf. He jumped on the back of the larger animal and immediately realized that the animal attacking his dog was a mountain lion.
A brief scuffle ensued before Hurd released his grip on the lion and the cat ran off. Hurd received stitches for cuts behind his ear.
Colorado Division of Wildlife officers spent several hours tracking the lion, but called off the search early Tuesday morning.
The Division of Wildlife estimates there are between 2,000 and 3,000 mountain lions in Colorado.
Edited by Leif Wold

Why wasn't he armed. Maybe a Ca. import that couldn't tell a lion from a dog. Even a 22 would of worked a good walking stick better then nothing. Of course he was walking a Scottie.

It was probably dark and a mt. lion was the last thing he expected it to be. After all, he was at home. Most likely the cat wasn't attacking him but just trying to get away from him once the cat realized a human was involved. Otherwise, the man would have had more severe injuries from a pressed attack. I'll bet it was a young lion that was involved as an experienced cat would have killed the little dog in an instant.

Wow thats a real case of mistaken identity! I bet that cat was going first this little black dog fights back now some jerk is climbing on my back. MY BACK! Skip it I'm out of here.
My friend Jim's wife used to breed the Scottie dogs. I never knew it until I spent some time around them. They fear nothing. Jim & Diane's biggist fear was a bear, or cat would come in the yard. Because those dogs would jump right it to the middle of it and get killed. I mean pound for pound they are very tough, but no match for a bear, or cat.
X-Ring AKA Scooter

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Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!

If your living like there is no HELL, you better be right!

[This message has been edited by X-Ring (edited 01-14-2002).]

I have to agree with X-ring. The smaller the terrier the more fight that's in it, it seems. Scrappy little dogs. I had a Cairn terrier at one time that had all the large dogs in the neighborhood terrorized. She'd get under them and bite up, if you get my drift. Luckily back then the lion problem was pretty much non-existant around here. We had two in town taking pets in the last year. - Dan

The citizens of the State of Colorado in their infinite wisdom made a constitutional ammendment to not allow the use of dogs to hunt bears. Since it is not economical to keep a pack of dogs for lion hunting the pressure has been reduced on the lions. How about an Airedale?

So if you can train a wart hog to hunt, it's legal?

Good thing it wasn't a Jack Russell terrier or the guy would have had to help the lion.

Don't underestimate a Scottie. These are badger dogs. The Scots used them to dig down a badgers hole, kill the badger and drag it out. If you have a true Scottie not a one bred to be a lap dog they are very tough and hard to injure. There hair is like wire, they are solid muscle and a cat has weak jaw pressure. If that Scottie got ahold a mountain lions leg, it would be broken! They cat would most likely then retreat.

I have personally witness a Scottie (this one was from Scotland from an outfit that bred them to hunt) kill a trained Doberman in probably about 45 seconds. The Scottie walked away dripping with Doberman blood without a scratch.

It was very interesting. The Doberman grabbed ahold of the Scottie by the neck. The Scottie got ahold of the Doberman's front leg. Shortly later there was a crunch sound immediately followed by yelping. The Doberman let go of the Scottie who in turn proceeded to disembowel the Doberman.

By the way, a Scottie has 6 canine teeth. Four on the upper jaw and two on the lower. Four of these canines are larger than those found in the mouth of a German shepard. The other two are smaller and about the correct proportion for a 20 -25 pound dog.

Scotties fear nothing and have terrible tempers with a mouth than can do alot of damage real quick. They are also very affect and protective of family members. The only "dog" that I would pick over a Scottie would be one of my special Alaskan Malamutes.

Todd E

All the guy needed is one or 2 german Jagd terriers and that cat would have been running for the hills 17 to 25 pounds of hell fire and fury. That is what they are being used for cat, bear, coon, They are like a jack russlle on steroids with a better nose. The little black dogs fear nothing. Mine bayed a bull for hours until the bull collasped from exhaustion.

tsiero, my brother lives in Juneau and keeps an Airedale as a bear dog. Says it's the best one he's ever had. - Dan

You guys are nuts! Todd E., cats DO NOT have weak jaw muscles. Everyone knows that cats(big cats) have much more powerfull jaw muscles than canines. Canines slash and tear, cats crush. Ask the the people in the far flung L.A. suburbs about losing their dogs(any dog) to lions. Ask the man that had a lion kill and take off with his Alaskan husky as he watched it through his back glass door. It's one thing to chase lions with dogs but when a lion is after your dog for food, your dog is toast. You guys live in a dream world.

Leo,

I was speaking in general terms. Generally speaking felines have weaker jaws than canines in terms of jaw pressure. Felines generally kill their prey by suffocation not crushing. This is accomplished by closing off the prey animals windpipe.

Your comment regarding the Alaskan Husky is mute also. I said Alaskan Malamute, which is a far larger breed. The special in my post referring to a grey wolf malamute cross, which I had as a kid. I would bet you anything that a mountain lion in a fight with my two malamutes would be dog food hands down (unless the cat got to a tree). Most malamutes will tip the scales in excess of 100 pounds, while huskys are lucky to weigh over 65. I am talking trim dogs here not fat pets.

My point regarding the Scottish terrier was that the original breed was and is a tough viscious little fighter capable of dispatching animals much bigger.

I have a question for you. Which do you think would win in this fight; wolverine vs. mountain lion? The mountain lion is several times bigger.

Todd E

Let me second that. I have one of those, had them for over 20 years and can tell you one of them replaces several Hounds.

quote:

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Originally posted by Frank:
All the guy needed is one or 2 german Jagd terriers and that cat would have been running for the hills 17 to 25 pounds of hell fire and fury. That is what they are being used for cat, bear, coon, They are like a jack russlle on steroids with a better nose. The little black dogs fear nothing. Mine bayed a bull for hours until the bull collasped from exhaustion.

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Todd. E., no sir, the short jaws of cats are designed for much more crushing power than canines; facts are facts, period! Cats catch and hold and canines slash and tear their prey to death, it's not a pretty sight. Cats do not always coke their prey to death, they quite often crush the neck vertabrae or bite through the skull depending on the size of the prey. Jaguars most always bite through the skull(it's instinctive) of even grown cattle. But they have unusually heavy dentation of the canine teeth much like that of the molars of a hyenna for crushing bone. The average western and rocky mountain female cougar will weigh 100 lbs. and the males 150 lbs. Your two big malmutes will lose to either but three would probably make the difference. Knowing-biologists will tell you that wolverine are on the prey list of mountain lions but the cats have to be hungry. If a wolverine drives a cougar from a kill, that is a full or weakened cat that doesn't need to argue back. Cougars have been known to kill and eat young black bears that have left their mothers and are on their own. If you will contact the Maurice Hornocker Institute in Idaho(they do lion and bear research) they will tell you that a female cougar can kill an adult bull elk without too much trouble by breaking the neck with their powerful paws and forearms, no biting required. A lion guide witnessed this one time and told me it sounded like a rifle shot when the neck broke. Professional lion guides will tell you that a lion is no match for a pack of wolves and that the cat will have to take to a tree and can do so without being killed if it is a healthy individual. But one or two wolves is no match for a cougar. But grizzilies are king!

Leo,

I guess I am just full of shit! I know that my two malamutes could kill a cougar. But obviously in cyber land that is not so.

You seem to be much more knowledgeable than me. I have always wondered how alligators manage to get ahold of anything. If you know could you please tell me. Include croc too if that is not too much.

Thanks,
Todd E

I have always had a great curiosity about the large cats and have investigated all the research I could get ahold of and talking personally with the professionals. By the way, the cat's supple body and ability to use it's claws is what makes the difference. There is no mystery about how gators and crocs catch their food. If something swims across the pool of water the gator is in, the gator can simply pull it under and in a rotating motion drown the victom. Or, the gator/croc can wait at the edge of a water hole(in the water) and with a lightning quick rush grab the prey and drag it back into the water with the usual rotating motion that will drown it's prey if the neck(when grabbed by the head) doesn't break first. An interesting incident I witnessed one time occurred at the Herman Park Zoo(Houston). They have a pool of water surrounded by a chain-link fence in which they keep the gators and a bunch of red-eared snapping turtles. There were alot of school children at the fence looking at the gators when suddenly I could see one of the turtles below the surface and swimming fast underwater for the shore. Right behind him was a gator that grabbed the turtle just as it got to shore. Getting the turtle in it's mouth it bit down hard crushing the edges of the shell and the turtle's legs as it struggled. Then it rotated the turtle 90 degrees in it jaws and bit again and then another 90 degrees and swallowed the turtle whole and still alive. The kids were screaming and I've always wondered if that sight had some long lasting effect on them.

Just reading it had an effect on me! - Dan

[QUOTE]Originally posted by p dog shooter:
[B]Why wasn't he armed. Maybe a Ca. import that couldn't tell a lion from a dog.

P dog,

Mtn lions are numerous here in Calif. They are protected by some anti's agenda law. We have had two deaths from lions in the last 8yrs I believe so I think most Californians are well aware of Mtn lions. How many lions in Wisconsin? sure-shot