Posted on 10/22/2016 11:32:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Bobcat sightings are not uncommon in North Texas. Viewers send in a few photos to NBC 5 every week.
However, we rarely hear about a person being attacked by a bobcat.
A Plano man says he had to fight off a bobcat while he was walking his dog at Hoblitzelle Park near Alma and Legacy drives.
“I guess right after is when I sat back and was like 'okay, I just fought a bobcat. That was interesting,'” said Logan Ortolf.
Ortolf says his 10-month-old Blue Heeler mix named Harley was off the leash at the park when the encounter happened.
The pair was walking along a creek at about 8:30 Monday night when Harley started barking uncontrollably at what turned out to be a bobcat in the bushes.
“It was about as big as her,” Ortolf said.
Worried Harley would become the bobcat's next meal, Ortorf says he stepped between the two animals.
“It jumped on her and I grabbed it by the back of the neck and tried to throw it into the woods, but it kind of latched onto my arm,” he said.
The entire encounter, Ortolf says, lasted five seconds.
“I had her by the neck and I kind of grabbed her by the back of the tail and flung it into a tree and then it ran off,” he said.
Photos show Ortolf's bloody forearm covered in claw marks. The injuries landed him in the emergency room.
“They gave me a bunch of shots as a precaution. I got 30 plus rabies sticks,” he said.
The wounds aren't stopping the pair from exploring their favorite park.
But Ortolf says Harley's days of playing off the leash are over.
“She'll stay on the leash from now on for sure or anywhere other than the dog park,” he said.
Animal experts say bobcat attacks are extremely rare.
Keeping your pet on a leash is the key to avoiding a bobcat encounter, according to Marcus Stephens with 911 Wildlife, a Plano-based company specializing in humane animal removal. Stephens answers questions on the minds of many pet owners here.
I read this as piano man.Billy Joel isn’t even mentioned in the article. It’s late, goodnight.
What, no sidearm? It’s Texas, for crap’s sake! Never go about unarmed in bear country, or bobcat country, for that matter...both get bitey!
Ha ha - me too. Reading it on the phone. Time for bed.
Hmmm..that breed of dog not all that big (40-50 pounds)but a bobcat that big I guess could do some damage
Yep. I did too, and it is very late..
Ha! Same here. Fling us a cat you’re the plano man!
Meh.
;D
LOLOL!
That was good.
You don’t get 40 shots for rabies.
30 either
They might have included some other shots given as precaution.
He wasn’t attacked by a bobcat.
He attacked the bobcat.
LOL!
...now that will be running in my mind all day.
These animals are losing their habitats. Things are popping up all over the north Plano area in the past few years. Even more so due to the influx of money and searching for ways of keeping same now that BO’B has only a few months remaining to issue any new ‘proclamations’
Legacy and Alma intersection is not far from Preston road, and it is a very busy intersection. Plano is not a one horse town but a growing, vibrant community.
Several years ago, we saw a bobcat in broad daylight walking across our back field toward the house. After that sighting, we never allowed our dogs out to wander without supervision. On the plus side, we also see deer. They, too, are finding their habitats destroyed. Progress does not come cheap. There must be a price to pay.
I see I’m not the only one who misread this as ‘Piano man’. 8~)
Would it not be a community service to hand those out at the entrance to a Hillary rally? Or keep one handy in case Miley Cyrus rings your doorbell to campaign for Hillary?
Neil Boortz told this story a couple times on his radio talk show - I have no idea if its true - though he said it was. It sounds like something a good ole Georgia boy would do.
Seems many moons ago there were thugs stealing unattended luggage curbside at the Greyhound bus station in Atlanta (back when that mode of transportation was more common). They’d grab as much luggage as possible before making a hasty escape in a waiting car.
One victim’s husband decided to take matters in his own hand.
He somehow trapped a bobcat and put the live creature in a steamer trunk and left it outside the bus station where it was quickly commandeered by the waiting thieves.
The getaway car only got a couple blocks down the street before it emptied its passengers.
Not really. The bobcat first latched onto his dog, then he grabbed it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.