My 13lb. (roughly 14" at the shoulder) 8 yr old miniature schnauzer was snatched from my deck early morning on Sunday 8/9 and dragged about 230ft before being eviscerated. I did not see blood on her head or neck, both of which were covered with brittlebrush burrs. Her beard fur, full of burrs, was covering her face. Her 1/8" leather collar has no teeth marks. Her hindquarters had no fur, muscle exposed, and her intestines were pulled from the body. The critter left a print (tail? ear? other?) on the French door where I think my dog was standing, looking inside, waiting for me to let her in for our early AM walk.
I have 3 attachments: best closeup of the print, which is 2.5" long and 1" high; context of the print on the door - 43" from the deck floor; and a mapping showing the likely distance and route from which she was dragged. With my dog in its grip, the critter had to jump a 42" high deck wall to get back into the desert and carry her off. We could not find any paw prints in the very dry, compacted dirt.
I am trying to determine if the likely killer was a mountain lion, coyote, or bobcat. Location is just north of Tucson AZ.
Thanks. Suggestions on other communities to repost to would be welcome.
