Dog survives vicious cougar attack in Sudden Valley
Mar 2, 2026, 7:41 AM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A dog survived an attack by a 145-pound cougar on Saturday morning in Sudden Valley near Bellingham.
The pet was snatched just steps from the front door of its home before the owner intervened to save the animal.
Denise Buchanan, the dog’s owner, described the event as a vicious attack that happened in broad daylight.
“This was eight steps off of my front porch,” Buchanan said. “It’s not like I was walking my dog off leash and she was way up ahead and the cougar sweep down and got it. Like this is right off my front door.”
Buchanan realized something was wrong shortly after her husband let the dog outside.
“I came down the stairs and said, ‘Oh, did you let Izzy out?’ He said, ‘Yeah,’ and right then I heard a yelp, yelp,” Buchanan said.
When she opened the door, she saw the cougar holding the dog in its mouth. “Yeah, I open the door, and the cougar was right there with Izzy in her mouth,” Buchanan said.
The family’s security camera captured the encounter on the doorstep.
Buchanan’s husband immediately chased the cougar, which prompted the cat to drop the dog before retreating into a nearby tree.
To make sure the cougar didn’t return for the dog, Buchanan’s husband took further action.
“He got a rock and just hurled it and hit it in the head, and then he ran,” Buchanan said.
Following the rescue, the family rushed Izzy to a veterinary hospital for emergency surgery.
Buchanan said the small dog would be okay and started acting like herself again.
“We have to be with her because she’s got a drainage thing and she’s little and she’s scared still,” Buchanan said. “Izzy won’t get out the door without us by her side at night. I had just thought nighttime would be the danger zone if there was anything creeping around.”
Other residents on Woodbine Way in Bellingham have also reported recent cougar activity.
Lorri, a neighbor who reported seeing three cougars in the area as recently as Thursday, said the incident has changed how people view their surroundings.
“Yeah, it makes you think because we are right in the woods in the back here,” Lorri said.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials captured the cougar shortly after the family returned from the hospital.
A spokesperson for the agency confirmed the animal was put down on-site. Izzy continues to recover at home with her owners.
