Mountain lion mauls dog
A mountain lion mauled a 1-year-old German-Belgian shepherd mix named Cookie to death Saturday, making it the first reported killing of its kind this year in Glendale, officials said.
The attack prompted Glendale police officials to renew warnings to hillside residents to keep their pets indoors at night.
“She was a great dog,” said Cookie’s owner, Karine Tatevossian. “It’s just really scary.”
The shepherd mix was staying at her parents’ home in the 1800 block of Emerald Terrace for the weekend, she said.
Cookie was last seen Friday night before her parents retired for the evening, Tatevossian said.
The following morning at about 8:30 a.m., they discovered the dog had been killed.
There were wounds on Cookie’s neck and rib cage, and it appeared as if the cougar had tried to drag the dog away, Tatevossian added.
Her parents and brother, Ed Khourdadjian, notified animal control officials, who took the dog away.
“We do live in [the mountain lion’s] neighborhood…but we do worry,” Khourdadjian said.
While the returning black bear that appears to have a certain affinity for North Glendale has grabbed a healthy share of media attention, mountain lion sightings — and attacks on pets — have been documented in the area for years.
In 2009, officials determined that a mountain lion killed an 85-pound German shepherd/Akita mix while it slept on a backyard patio in Glendale. The dog was found with a deep gash extending from the base of its head to its tail.
In late 2011, animal control officials recovered a carcass of a mountain lion that was struck and killed by a motorist on the Glendale (2) and Ventura (134) freeway interchange, police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Several sightings of a mountain lion in Burbank, including of a brazen stroll among parked cars, were also reported that year.
Several months ago, police again received reports of a mountain lion along the 2 Freeway, he added.
The California Department of Fish and Game was notified about the latest attack, but unless local officials ask for help, there’s not much the agency can do about the wildlife population, spokesman Andrew Hughan said.
“We feel bad for the owner,” he said. “We never want to see any animals get killed.”
Homeowners can best protect their pets by keeping them indoors at night, as well as their food, since that’s what attracts lions to their prey, Hughan said.
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