Mountain lion attacks, and what we can learn

[Bill Glasheen]

The following article has several videos in it. One shows a mountain lion at night on the prowl as it is entering someone's back yard. The security camera captures its entrance. Presumably it got the family dog - NOT a small one - and made off with it as food.

Yet another video interviews a man whose Rhodesian Ridgebacks successfully encountered and fought off another Mountain Lion. The article INCORRECTLY states that the dogs were bread to hunt mountain lions. This is not true. Ridgebacks are a South African dog - originally of the Hotentot tribe - which were originally bred to protect African farms from wild animals. They subsequently were refined by European settlers, and used to hunt African lions. I know this because I own a breeder-quality Ridgeback, and my sister once owned the all-time winning Ridgeback (5 times BIS).

Think about the advantage a Ridgeback has in encountering animals larger and more lethan than it. I can tell you that these beasts are...

• Obscenely strong.
  .....
• Hyper lean (This guy's Ridgebacks in the video are too big/fat for the breed standard. They may have been neutered. One of them is also a "ridgeless Ridgeback", not show-able for the breed.)
  .....
• Very low center of gravity, and hence extremely agile.
  .....
• Stubborn as hell and more tenacious than any other dog I've seen or owned.
  .....
• Extremely loving and loyal to their family. Mine insisted on sleeping with one of the boys in a puppy pile, and would give unpredictable "flying kisses" to me. I always had to be careful not to bend down when his kissing compulsion happened. Once he almost took my two front teeth out.

The point is that a Ridgeback would *NOT* go toe-to-toe with an African lion. Rather it would harass it to death with fly-by after fly-by. I once witnessed my Ridgeback puppy doing his thing to a full grown housecat outside. He had the cat so flummoxed that it was frozen in place and could only try to swat him when he was doing a fly-by. In groups of two or three, they would add biting from the back end while another was harassing at the front end.

The biggest mistake American owners make when breeding them is to try to make them big and bulky like a Great Dane. Such a Ridgeback ends up being cat food for an African lion.

Anyhow in spite of the bulk of this guy's Ridgebacks, they've been the only domestic dogs to have survived the recent California Mountain Lion attacks.

There is a lesson here for our Uechika - both students and teachers. Stand there and have some retard "Uechi master" (of *any* ethnicity) beat the **** out of you to "develop" your Sanchin and show off your prowess? Not so much in my book. Good luck with the bullets and the blades there, cowboy. I'll buy tickets to watch your slaughter.

There is a "story" told by the Uechi family about an old Chinese master going for a walk when it was known that there was a tiger prowling on humans. As the story goes, someone warned him who saw him walking alone. His response? "You'll find the tiger down the road." So they went and looked, and found the beast with a broken back. *IF* that story was true, I guarantee it wasn't because the master stood still in the encounter. Enter the dragon, baby!

..... Mountain Lion Caught on Camera; Dogs Fight Off Another

- Bill

[fivedragons]

M.L. - "Hmm.. let's see what we have here…"

R.R1 - "Is that some kind of tiny lion?"

R.R2 - "Let's do this"

R.R1 - "T.C.B."

R.R.2 - "Time to rock; move out"

M.L. - "This suks really bad, let me outta here."

[fivedragons]

http://youtu.be/FQr-gp2Af7Q

[jorvik]

Well that dog that was killed looks a lot like a dogue de bordeux aka a french mastiff, which is what my dog is, to the uninitiated a "Turner and Hooch" dog..I would think that his dog must have been old or fat because they are very,very powerfull dogs and totally fearless when defending their owners or his property.....sadly my dog is always getting attacked by other dogs, just tonight he was attacked..he doesn't really take these attacks that seriously, that is what I believe.like Ali fighting an 8 year old.when he is threatened the change in him is terrifying...........he is not as agile as a ridgeback, but much more powerfull especially in the jaws, and extremly quick but only for a short time. a bit like mike tyson
I have heard that the Dogo argentinian, also a mastiff breed has killed mountain lions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVej2NmLfdg

my dog is my first dog, and he hass a really gentle loving personality, he loves to get into bed with me and the wife, which can be a bit difficult at times

[Bill Glasheen]

If you think "powerful dog" is the answer, you are missing the point altogether.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is the way it is by natural selection. Only dogs capable of protecting African farms from typical African predators were going to survive. The big, strong, slower ones became yummy cat food. This is the point that those qualified to judge the breed - e.g. my sister - try to make to those who are want to make Ridgebacks look like Mastiffs or Great Danes. *YOU* may like a dog like that, but it won't be a Ridgeback. It'll just be lunch for an African lion.

You can see 3 or 4 ribs on my male, and yet he will walk you unless you have strong control of center and an alpha personality. If they had a coat, they'd be great sled dogs. In fact another Uechika - Dana Sheets - told me her dad built a harness for their Ridgeback and had it pulling the kids around the neighborhood.

On an east-facing slope of my property I have planted mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia) in a kind of zig-zag fashion. When my dog was younger and I could trust him not to wander miles to go find Fifi, he would dash to that line of bushes and do a slalom run - the hard way. He did it just because he could; it was fun. That was a sight to behold.

Very large human attackers require the same mindset. Go toe-to-toe at your peril. Move well and you can make a very large attacker fall all over himself. Particularly when a weapon is involved, it's all about staying off the line of force.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Note the "fly by" running style. This is what makes it impossible for the wild cats to get them.
..... Rhodesian Ridgeback shows off on morning walk

Some great slo-mo of them running.
..... Rhodesian Ridgeback vs Quad Bike - Ridgebacks Racing

Some raw speed exhibited by a properly athletic Ridgeback
..... ZEUS CATCH ME IF YOU CAN !

[jorvik]

Quote
If you think "powerful dog" is the answer, you are missing the point altogether.

I wasn't saying that.Ridgebacks hunt lions in packs not as single dogs and we are not talking about lions but about mountain lions or cougars which are considerably smaller. I don't think a cougar which are basically cowards would dare attack something as large as a mastiff .simply because they are "fearbiters" and when they are scared they will attack a lot more aggressively and they are very agile close in, and for a short period of time

and they love pizza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaBn42LourU

[Bill Glasheen]

If you think "powerful dog" is the answer, you are missing the point altogether.

I wasn't saying that.Ridgebacks hunt lions in packs not as single dogs and we are not talking about lions but about mountain lions or cougars which are considerably smaller.

We are talking about mountain lions. Here's some perspective, Ray.





Usually - but not always - Ridgebacks protect the farms *OR* are used to hunt in twos and threes. For the record.... females are more often used than males, because they are smaller and hence more agile.

But they will take an African cat on solo. It isn't a matter of taking the African lion down. It's a matter of merciless, tenacious, and unending harassment - without getting killed - until the lion leaves and/or the farm owner or hunter kills the lion. These dogs can keep up with a horse all day long. Predator cats don't have that kind of endurance, and they aren't as agile as the Ridgeback.

I don't think a cougar which are basically cowards would dare attack something as large as a mastiff

A little bit of background information may help you here.

First... these mountain lions *are* attacking large dogs - including Rottweilers and Mastiffs.

Second... it has nothing to do with bravery or sport. It's not even "personal." It has to do with survival. There's a severe drought in California right now. This is causing shortages of both food and water in the normal hunting ranges of these cats. Thus all kinds of wild animals are coming out of the mountains and desert areas, and into people's back yards where they can feast on Fido and take a drink in the pool.

Most dogs aren't a match for wild cats - even the large ones. Again... the Rhodesian Ridgeback is what natural selection gives you when you get dogs that survive facing African cats. Nature *always* knows better. Darwin got it right.

- Bill

[fivedragons]

Cats and dogs can go kick rocks. I want a pet wolverine.

http://youtu.be/xNoxVfN3t78

[Stryke]

I really like ridgebacks as a breed , great animals

people who spent real time around dogs are lucky

people who have spent time around working dogs/hunting dogs though see something more

dogs are resilient and like man very much a pack and persistence animal IMHO , combine that with some agility I have no doubt they could hunt cat, and like man (pun intended) breed out that dogged perseverance and resolve and your not left with much.

Like man there adapted to persistence hunting and are Cursorial hunters and this is arguably while we both evolved to such social creatures.

sometimes your just outgunned , but there are other ways

[CANDANeh]

The only animal that seems to have any " cowardly" behavior is man. Darwins laws fail to weed out the weak thanks to ...well that's another topic. "Cowardly " is somewhat difficult to define anyway. Can not imagine my reaction to meeting a mountain lion face to face. Recently I was in the woods with my dogs and we heard a growl that made my lizard brain kick in. Found the tracks the next day which turned out to be a lynx. The growl from that little guy was impressive and did not reveal from what direction. Apparently when the wild cats growl ( when close by)they are able to do so without revealing their location. Can anyone shed more light on that if its true? I now tend to believe it

[Bill Glasheen]

Recently I was in the woods with my dogs and we heard a growl that made my lizard brain kick in.

Isn't the amygdala amazing? It makes you appreciate DeBecker's expression "The gift of fear."

A week and a half ago I was visiting a friend who has a very old cat that's mostly blind. Sometimes it gets spooked and hisses. It's instinctive, and not personal. So I was walking by her, stopped, and scratched her neck. She knows my touch. Then I got up and did a "Sanchin crescent" step around her body to get by. I guess the sensation of my pant leg going by spooked her. She hissed - something I'm used to in her by now. Again... not personal. But two seconds later I got this absolutely invigorating chill that ran down my neck and back. I found it amazing that her primal brain was able to talk to my primal brain like that - all without thought for either one of us. Food for thought.

Apparently when the wild cats growl ( when close by)they are able to do so without revealing their location. Can anyone shed more light on that if its true? I now tend to believe it

Every audio engineer knows that we can tell direction with high frequencies, but not low frequencies. This is why you need two speakers but only one subwoofer in a souped-up audio system. You cannot tell the direction of the lower tones in thunder; it seems to be omnipresent.

I can only guess the reason why. It has something to do with the combination of the below.

• The distance from peak to peak of high frequencies vs. low frequencies vs. the distance between your ears.
  ...
• Lower frequencies travel slower. If you're right on top of where lightning strikes, it's an explosion. If you're farther away, you hear a crack and then a boom. The farther you are away, the more the spectrum spreads.

Anyhow... I am guessing that it has to do with the ability of large cats to emit an especially low frequency sound. Ever heard a lion growl? I'm talking about in real life vs. the crappy rendition you get when via Memorex. It has otherworldly bass tones to it. It can spook you, and yet cause you to run in the wrong direction. That works well for the cat, where you may end up running right into it.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Cats and dogs can go kick rocks. I want a pet wolverine.

http://youtu.be/xNoxVfN3t78

Well then... here's what you get when you put a Ridgeback in such a battle. Note its tactics. Also note that he's doing all his fancy footwork on a mountain slope. Consider that alone when viewing his agility. (And this is an oversized Ridgeback, FWIW. Not "standard" for the breed.)

..... American Badger Vs Dog

We humans have much we can learn. Toe-to-toe is overrated. Ali beat bigger and stronger through excellent movement. Learn how to apply turns and tenshin stepping in a fight and you can tie an opponent in knots. This is what my Gojo/aikido/green beret instructor taught me. He was a small guy who did dirty deeds for the military, and lived to talk about it.

For the record... Yamaguchi and Kimo Wall were two of his former instructors. He also did a gaggle of other arts including judo, kyokushinkai, and taequondo.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Watch this. Amazing display of cahones in a woman.

..... Girl Raised As A Bushman

I think I'm in love!

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Just so we don't get cocky...

There are cats, and then there are CATS.

..... Never Poke a Leopard

Note to self. Poke at a caged jungle cat with a stick? Bad idea.

A simple shomen geri thrust saves his live.

- Bill