April 10–Residents of a southeast Boise neighborhood were notified Wednesday morning about a mountain lion attack on a dog, according to a Surprise Valley resident. The person who reported the attack may have thought the animal was a mountain lion, but that has not been confirmed.
The attack occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Horseshoe Place, a cul-de-sac just off Surprise Way and Idaho Highway 21. When the animal attacked a small dog, the dog’s owner yelled at it to scare it away, according to Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower.
The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment of its injuries — a single puncture wound — which wasn’t believed to be fatal, Hightower said. A notice about the attack was posted to the Surprise Valley Homeowners Association by Association Management Inc.
“Please keep a close eye on ALL children and pets,” the website notice says. “Call police at 377-6790 immediately if you see a mountain lion.”
Idaho Fish Game officers are are investigating the incident, Hightower said. Police encourage anyone who encounters a mountain lion to call 911.
It’s not the first mountain lion encounter reported this year. In February, a cougar was spotted in a Garden City neighborhood. Idaho Fish Game officials tracked the cat, and it was shot by police.
On Jan. 27, two dogs accompanying a mountain biker were attacked by a mountain lion off Bogus Basin Road. The following day, a jogger with a dog encountered a cougar in the Avimor Subdivision off Idaho 55 northeast of Eagle. Both those cats disappeared.
Katy Moeller: 377-6413 Twitter: @KatyMoeller