By Casey Crow
Staff Writer
Pagosa Springs is prime country for a diverse variety of mountain wildlife, but with sightings of large predators on the rise, residents are reminded to exercise caution.
For Deb Archuleta, mountain predators became a harsh reality on Aug. 3 when her one-year-old dachshund, Winslow, was killed by a mountain lion just outside her home in the Juanita area.
According to Archuleta, she walked out of her house with her three dogs around 8:30 a.m. The dogs had already exited the house when she saw a mountain lion standing just two feet from the door.
The lion grabbed the dog in his mouth and lunged toward Archuleta.
“There was nothing I could do,” she said. “You have to let your dogs out.”
Archuleta alerted the authorities and Colorado wildlife officer Mike Reid was dispatched to assess the situation.
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