Bumping into Nature
Mar. 23rd, 2016 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alynwaI was walking one of my aunt's dogs this morning in the arroyo across the street. We had walked the length of it and walked up the path that leads to the Kohl's parking lot. We walked around there and then re-entered the wash to head back to the house. I looked ahead and approximately 75 to 100 feet ahead was an unleashed animal walking along in the same direction we were that for a split second, I thought was a dog. I stopped as Duke wants to fight every dog he sees and he will start to pull to get to them.
But the walk wasn't dog-like and dogs don't flick their tails and the animal turned to look and OH MY GOD, IT'S A MOUNTAIN LION!!!
I began to back up very slowly, whispering for Duke to go, which is his command for walking in front (or in this case, behind me). After about 10 steps, I turned around and continued to whisper for him to go, as I checked over my shoulder that it wasn't following us. I deliberately kept my body where Duke couldn't turn around and see the animal. I got back up to the Kohl's parking lot and called my uncle to come get me. This area doesn't have "blocks" in the NYC sense so I literally would have had to walk almost two miles to get back to my aunt's house if I didn't go through the arroyo and I STILL would have to cross near it.
It was a gorgeous animal and I'm glad I can check "Seeing Big Cat in the Wild" off my Bucket List, but I don't want to repeat the experience. What a rush, though.
I did report it to Animal Control and they came out to check just as I was leaving my aunt's. They said it's not unusual for them to be in that area.
But the walk wasn't dog-like and dogs don't flick their tails and the animal turned to look and OH MY GOD, IT'S A MOUNTAIN LION!!!
I began to back up very slowly, whispering for Duke to go, which is his command for walking in front (or in this case, behind me). After about 10 steps, I turned around and continued to whisper for him to go, as I checked over my shoulder that it wasn't following us. I deliberately kept my body where Duke couldn't turn around and see the animal. I got back up to the Kohl's parking lot and called my uncle to come get me. This area doesn't have "blocks" in the NYC sense so I literally would have had to walk almost two miles to get back to my aunt's house if I didn't go through the arroyo and I STILL would have to cross near it.
It was a gorgeous animal and I'm glad I can check "Seeing Big Cat in the Wild" off my Bucket List, but I don't want to repeat the experience. What a rush, though.
I did report it to Animal Control and they came out to check just as I was leaving my aunt's. They said it's not unusual for them to be in that area.
