Andover Family Thinks Cougar Killed Dog

A family pet was attacked and killed in its own backyard in Andover. Although it is unclear what killed it, the family believes it was a cougar.

Sarah Fuerstenberg says she and her husband let their black lab Mikuni and their Shi Tzu Cookie outside to go the bathroom Friday night.

About five minutes later, they found their 100 lb black lab lying next to their children's playground with a broken neck, busted ribs, and puncture wounds in her left leg. Mikini died a few minutes later.

After finding a strange paw print in their sandbox, the Fuerstenbergs believe she was attacked by a cougar or some other wild animal.

Since no one saw what happened, the Anoka County sheriff's office says deputies couldn't tell if Mikuni was killed by an animal or struck by a car.

While black bears have been spotted in Andover over the years, along with coyotes and even bobcats, the sheriff's office says there have been no reports of cougars in recent memory.

"People should always be concerned about what is going in their neighborhood, but at this particular point, we don't have any concerns about predators in that area," said Lieutenant Paul Sommer of the Anoka County Sheriff's Deptartment.

The DNR says there are about 50 cougar sighting reported around the state every year, but most turn out not to be true.