Cougars in the Bootheel? Recent attack on man's dog leaves residents wondering

Harley, a bloodhound belonging to Aaron Jamerson of Hornersville, Mo., died on Tuesday as a result of the wounds from an attack that he suffered on Thursday, March 19.

The attack occurred in the woods near Jamerson's home in Hornersville and has been speculated to be a large animal of the cat family. Following the attack, Jamerson was unable to get Harley to eat any food.

"I hadn't been able to get him to eat since Sunday," Jamerson said.

Because the dog wouldn't eat, Jamerson returned the dog to the veterinarian clinic on Tuesday. The veterinarian decided to shave more of the dogs hair searching for wounds, previously missed, that could still be bothering the dog, according to Jamerson.

Once the hair was removed, the veterinarian noticed that the skin, from the middle of Harley's back to his tail, was turning black, Jamerson noted.

The veterinarian explained to Jamerson that this color meant that the skin tissues were dying.

"She said that the skin had been jerked so hard, it had been separated from the muscle tissue," Jamerson said. "This was one of the worst things I have ever seen."

The veterinarian was unsure if Harley could survive following a procedure to reconnect the skin and muscle tissue, Jamerson added. Following this information, Jamerson made the tough decision to put the dog down, because of the severity of his wounds.

When asked about the attacking animal, the veterinarian said she did not know what could cause such extensive damage. Being as Harley weighed 125 pounds, this would be a very large animal to throw him around and disconnect skin and muscle tissues, the veterinarian informed Jamerson. She continued to explain to Jamerson that some of the wounds reminded her of damage from a large cat, but she could not be positive.

"She had thought about a bobcat, but didn't think one could be strong enough to do the damage," Jamerson said.

Tammy Brown, a neighbor to Jamerson, is currently missing one of her three dogs.

An eight-year-old Chihuahua Catahoula, a Louisiana hunting dog, has been missing for three weeks. According to Brown, the dog was free to roam the county area, like Jamerson's dog, and liked to visit the river regularly.

"Usually my two labs would go with her to the river, but on the day that she disappeared they were chained up," Brown said.

Several years ago, Brown was taking care of her father, who had been sick, when she heard screaming outside.

"It sounded like a woman screaming, and I thought it was my mom," Brown said.

"I looked outside and, in the bright full moon light, saw a black figure."

The figure was believed to be a cat, possibly a cougar, the size of a Labrador Retriever, walking down the road toward the levy, according to Brown.

The Missouri Conservation Officer in the area has been contacted regarding the possibility of cougars or other large cats being present in the Bootheel, but was unavailable for comment. Investigations into the attacking animal will continue through the Daily Dunklin Democrat, with updates on the situation being released once information is available.