Wakefield couple spot bobcat near home, fear for their dog's safety
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WJAR) — A Wakefield couple is in awe after they saw what appears to be bobcat just feet from their home on Sweet Allen Farm Road.
"I was surprised. I didn't think they came that close to the house. I mean he was right at the front steps, so I was like, OK," Charlie Marshall said.
The Marshalls said one of their first thoughts was their 15-year-old dog, which is blind.
"He has to go out a lot at night and that is my biggest fear. We keep him on a leash, but obviously we are not going to be walking through the backyard with him. We are going to stay on the patio, but even still that makes me nervous," Lori Marshall said.
State Department of Environmental Management spokesperson Mike Healey said bobcats usually avoid people.
"Attacks on people are so rare that they almost never happen," Healey said.
Healy said bobcats are good hunters and it is mating season.
"What they are hunting is the smaller prey, rabbits," Healey said.
But attacks on small pets are not off the table. NBC 10 reported in October that a bobcat killed a dog in Coventry.
Healey said people should keep food out of their yards, and if an animal frequents an area to make noise.
"Go out with pots and pans and bang them together. You don't want a wild animal feeling comfortable around you. That's when problems happen," Healey said.
Meanwhile, the Marshalls said they are spreading the word of what they saw.
"I sent an email to my neighbors because many of us are pet owners," Marshall said.
The DEM has more information on bobcats on its website.