Second Family Pet Killed By Bobcat

RICHARDSON (CBS11) - A Richardson family is grieving the loss of a beloved pet, and it's the second time a bobcat in their own backyard is to blame.

The City of Richardson said during the last two years it has successfully captured 17 bobcats, but that wasn't enough to save the pet meant to replace the first one who died.

Surveillance cameras spotted the bobcat walking down an alley and into David Dinsmore's driveway. A Richardson spokesperson tells CBS11 the bobcat's distinctive limp suggests it may be looking for easier food sources because of its injury. That didn't stop it from leaping a six-foot fence to grab the family pet. Dinsmore is quickly seen leaping the fence himself to chase after the bobcat with the dog in its mouth.

"I was screaming, no, not again, no not again as I was screaming at the cat to try to get it to let go of the dog," Dinsmore said.

In 2016, Dinsmore's cameras caught a bobcat attacking his dog, Dakota. After that he and his wife took added precautions. He built a caged in area in his front yard where his pets could run safely. He built another fence in his backyard to keep the dogs only in the area he could see from his deck.

"We never let the dogs out without one of us out here actually with them," Dinsmore said.

But that wasn't enough. The bobcat was so fast, it snatched his dog, Dixie Belle right before his eyes.

"It's like getting hit by lightning twice. I just can't believe it happened a second time," Dinsmore said.

The city spokesperson urges anyone who sees a bobcat enter their property to immediately make it feel unwelcome. That's advice Dinsmore hopes everyone will take to heart.

"Too many people just snap a picture. If you see a bobcat, you need to start yelling and screaming, throwing rocks. We need to get these cats scared of us again. They've gotten too comfortable around people, and that's part of the problem. We need to really put some fear into them, so they leave us alone," Dinsmore said.

Richardson has set traps nearby in response to this attack. The city tells CBS11 when captured, the bobcats are relocated to a refuge in East Texas.