Dog Killed by Wolf Near Lake Superior in Duluth

It's a pet owner's worst nightmare, and it sadly came true earlier this week in Duluth, when an apparently hungry lone wolf killed a dog who was hiking with his owner near Lake Superior.

The Star-Tribune has the complete story on the horrible incident, which apparently took place at about noon on Tuesday. A Duluth resident was walking their dog off-leash on a trail near Lake Superior when the attacked happened.

The story says, "The dog, a golden retriever mix named Leo, was no more than 15 to 20 yards from its owner on a trail near Brighton Beach when the wolf pounced about noon, said Keith Olson, a longtime conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)."

The story also said that “'The timing was impeccable,' according to Olson, who described the trail as a favorite of dog owners who live near the shore of Lake Superior. 'That poor dog, Leo, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And lone wolves are a little more desperate.'"

How horrible! I can't begin to even think what that must be like-- and it happened in broad daylight, too. Before our beloved dog, Chance, passed away last summer, we used to like to take him down to the Cascade Lake area in southwest Rochester to chase tennis balls in the water. It would appear Leo's owner liked to do the same kind of thing. He probably never guessed a lone wolf would be lurking nearby, ready to attack his beloved pet. I know I wouldn't have thought of such a thing.

Luckily for us here in southeast Minnesota, though, a wolf attack isn't nearly as likely as it is up on the North Shore, where this attack took place. As the story noted, "Instances of wolves going after pets in the city are 'rare but getting more common,' said Olson, who has been with the DNR in that part of the state for 28 years. 'Duluth is a unique community. A lot of critters roam through Duluth.'"

This terrible story still gives me chills, though. And when we get our next dog, most likely sometime later this year, I'll think twice about letting them roam alone off-leash-- even here in our neck of the woods.