Cougar Dreams

There's a nature trail in our neighborhood I've mentioned in a previous post or two. Such a little treasure to have so close by! Recently though there's been evidence there may be a cougar prowling in that area. I don't like it, but I don't blame him. What a perfect situation--a nice wooded area with access to backyards that are homes to pets and the critters people's homes attract. It's definitely given N and I a reason to choose the park (without cougar warning signs) for our dog walks.
We did give in after not hearing more in the news and gave it a go last weekend. I mean, cougars sleep during the day, right? No worries! So fearless N and I leashed up Izzy and set off to enjoy our morning hike. About halfway into the trail, N stops and listens. This is the man who is always reassuring me when I'm panicked about whatever has my heart racing. Patiently he'll explain how that noise was the gate hitting the side of the house or the neighbors taking out their garbage. And so, when he stopped to listen, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. After listening for a minute, he began to move forward--on tiptoe. I scurried along close behind (like the wuss I am) and when I noticed his steps had returned to normal I tugged on his shirt and whispered, "what was that all about?".
"I thought I heard a low growl and then some twigs snapped." he replied.
Oh great! Here we are out in the middle of this trail and he thinks the big cat may be stalking us!
We continued until we reached the south end and then hiked home. We survived without a scratch, but we haven't been back since.