What did you see at the lake today?

Yesterday was a gorgeous February day so my mom and I were enjoying a walk around the lake in Olympia. I love dogs, so I kept pointing out all the different dog breeds that I liked. I'd say, "Oooh, look at that cute Corgi," and "What a nice looking Bernese Mt. Dog." Then we came around the bend. "Um, um..." I said and started frantically slapping my hand against my mom's arm to get her attention, as if she wouldn't notice the creature just feet from us. "Oh!" she said. All of a sudden, in front of us, was a lady walking a bobcat on a very long leash. A BOBCAT!


We sat down on a bench to watch with unnecessary subtlety given everyone in the park was staring and speaking loudly about it (What is that? Is that legal? Do you think it's declawed? I hope it's not hungry.). We watched for awhile and when it didn't eat the nearby toddler or the two little dogs that were apparently it's companions, we continued on around the lake.

But, by the time we got back to the parking lot, mom and I were still curious, so we walked halfway around the lake again and found the bobcat in the center of a group of intrigued but wary onlookers. From listening to their conversation, I learned that evidently the woman got the bobcat, Yeti, from a fur farm in Montana. I looked it up later and apparently it is legal to have a pet bobcat if you acquire it legally outside the state. Who knew?