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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To never walk my dog again?

104 replies

TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 10:11

I took one of my dogs for a late walk last night, between 9 and 10pm.
Got into the woods, she was acting agitated and kept looking behind her.
I turned round a few times, nothing there.

Carried on, listening to my mp3, decided to turn out of the woods as was getting a bit dark for my liking so headed for the footpath that runs between the road and the woods.

Dog still acting strange and looking back into the woods, get towards the end of the path turn round and see a black lab sitting by the fence, ah that's what's been bothering her she hates black labs.
Walk another few yards and my dog starts going properly crazy, up on hind legs, twisting around.

Turn round thinking the lab must be coming closer, NO a massive black cat jumps out of the woods, crosses the footpath, jumps the fence and crosses the road into the woods on the other side.

The thing must have followed us all through the woods, thank god I had my dog on a lead or DH reckons it would have went for her if she had been running around.

I'm not going back, I'm buying treadmills for my dogs.

OP posts:
HesterShaw · 04/08/2013 10:27

I was talking to some people who lived high up on Bodmin Moor on a remote farm and have ponies.

They are completely certain, as in they know, there are big cats breeding on the moor.

There must be other places too.

BeerTricksPotter · 04/08/2013 10:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

libertine73 · 04/08/2013 10:31

Oh I would love to go looking for it!!( bit far for me, and DP has taken the sodding car)

Sounds like an ideal place for a puma to live!

Yes, sorry, I thought there was a lab in the story as well as a big cat!

Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 10:32

I nearly did pee my pants, legs were shaking all the way home.

OP posts:
buttermellow · 04/08/2013 10:36

There are most definitely big cats up in the highlands - most of my mum's family are deer stalkers who've encountered them before.

We've had a wildcat in the garden, he was more scared of us apparently but didn't stop him stalking through the field behind us for a few hours.

EauRouge · 04/08/2013 10:37

Can your DH go back to where you saw it and look for paw prints? It's very easy to tell the difference between cat and dog paw prints. No one told my local paper that though and they ran a front page story about giant paw prints from a mystery big cat found in a field only for all the readers to point out they were from a dog Grin

Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 10:41

DH is going to walk her that way today, with the camera.
Would LOVE to see a wildcat though, we got kittens from a farm way up in the stick and am pretty sure the father was a proper Scottish wildcat.

OP posts:
trinity0097 · 04/08/2013 10:43

www.fitfurlife.com/

Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 10:49

Those who would go looking for it, would you not be scared it went for you?
DH says I'm nuts to be scared, that it wouldn't go for humans when there are sheep and deer around.

But I'm a big wuss anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 10:50

Trinity, that's the answer for nighttime walks :)

OP posts:
ConfusedPixie · 04/08/2013 11:31

Go with trinity's idea, much safer!

That's terrifying, and pretty cool! Might be worth giving local police a heads up about a big cat being in the area if they've not been seen for a long time? Just so that they know in case the whole "lion of St Osyth" malarkey happens again Wink

swallowedAfly · 04/08/2013 11:33

no i wouldn't be scared of that terra.

then again i've dived with sharks etc and know that most animals have a very solid instinct to stay away from humans unless they are doing something that makes them look like food (re: a surfer on his board paddling with his arms looks like a turtle to the poor sight of a shark).

even the so called 'scary' animals are usually more scared of us than we are of them.

swallowedAfly · 04/08/2013 11:35

and with good reason - we're a pretty sodding vicious species.

pjmama · 04/08/2013 11:36

I think your DH is probably right? If there are big cats around, I've never heard of a human being attacked by one so I they must keep themselves well away. Exciting tho, I'd love to see one although probably not in the woods at night!

swallowedAfly · 04/08/2013 11:50

your post makes more sense now you've said it's a german shepherd - they're skittish creatures eh? you'd think they'd be a little less nervy.

Original poster
TerraNotSoFirma · 04/08/2013 13:33

She's more of a wuss than me.
But feel safer with her than with my irish setter puppy tbh. :)

OP posts:
swallowedAfly · 04/08/2013 13:38

it's bizarre isn't it? my friends german shep is wussy as hell whereas one of my dogs is a little lhasa apso who thinks she is a lioness. maybe it's the canine version of body dysmorphia?

BrokenSunglasses · 04/08/2013 13:46

I would shit myself at that, YANBU!

It's pretty cool that you saw one though. You can dine out on that for at least a fortnight.

PrettyKitty1986 · 04/08/2013 13:53

Wow that's amazing. I would definitely be walking that way again, in the day and with a camera! Awesome (but can see why you wouldn't go out walking in the dark again!)

VivaLeBeaver · 04/08/2013 14:05

My greyhound was nearly caught by a puma last year. Dog was running full speed, 40mph.

londonrach · 04/08/2013 14:10

Puma sightings are common in somerset where I lived growing up. In fact the police offer advice on keeping safe. I have seen one. Scared the living daylights out of me. Was walking in the woods with boyfriend at time suddenly saw a jack Russell barking its head off and then this large black cat ran across the path. It was the issue remember it was so big. Jack Russell still barking hovered around and must have been 1 minute later a man appeared with a gun and said which way. We pointed and he and dog went that way. Didn't stick around for long after. This was the quantock hills just above Taunton. On another walk we found a deer which looked like it had been eaten by a very large wild animal. We took pictures of it and it looks like a kill from Africa. I grow up in the country so know foxes, badgers etc.

londonrach · 04/08/2013 14:11

Big tail not issue. :-)

thebody · 04/08/2013 14:12

bloody hell!!! Birmingham looking good today..

MrsTerryPratchett · 04/08/2013 16:07

It is rare but not unheard of for big cats to attack. If you read the Wiki, I live where the 2/3 of Canadian fatalities occur. Lucky me.

libertine73 · 04/08/2013 16:08

Bloody hell viva really?