LOS ANGELES—A 1-pound squirrel and 90-pound dog didn’t let their size disparity stop them from dueling.
The rodent died in the recent run-in with Kimberlee Jaynes’s pet Skip, but the shar pei and golden Labrador mix got a long scar on his face and was lucky not to lose an eye.
“Skip has a vendetta now,” said Jaynes, of Portland, Oregon. “When he sees them, his ears go up—he’s looking for them.”
Temperatures are rising, and so are wildlife attacks against pets. Dogs and cats encounter wildlife more often in the summer as people and pets spend more time outdoors and drought and forest fires push wild animals outside their usual territory, veterinarians say. Warmer weather brings out hikers and campers when wildlife is likely to be active and aggressive—often protecting their young broods from perceived threats.
