Report from George Markie
Foaming-Jawed' Beast Attacks Pet Dog In Garden
By Michael Alexander in the Dundee Courier 13 th July 2001
A FIFE woman got the fright of her life when she opened her back door on Wednesday night and discovered that a mysterious black animal had its foaming jaws clamped around her pet dog's throat.
Mrs Sandra Devine of Main Street, Leuchars, had wondered what the commotion was when she heard her Irish setter whining as it went about its business in the darkened garden.
The mystery deepened when she heard thumping at the back door.
But she could scarcely believe her eyes and almost went hysterical when she peered out into the gloom and found her pet dog in deep distress with a large animal clamped to its neck.
Yesterday, as police said there was no evidence to suggest that the attack was the work of Fife's mysterious "alien black cat," Mrs Devine's husband Kenneth, who works as an air traffic controller at RAF Leuchars, recalled how he had been alerted to the frightening incident.
He said, "It was close to midnight yesterday when I heard my wife's hysterical screaming. Our Irish setter, Belle, was going about her business in our rear garden before bed, as is the case every night. But last night my wife heard her whining, together with a thumping at the back door.
"She opened the door to the dark garden to see a black animal with its foaming jaws around our dog's throat.
"This beast was silent during its attack, no barking or other sounds, and ran off eventually after much screaming from my wife."
"St Andrews police were called and assisted with a sweep of our garden but there was nothing to see. Belle is remarkably unscathed, considering, but we have no idea what this animal was and just hope it does not come back."
Mr Devine said he was aware that in recent weeks there had been several fresh sightings of a mysterious black cat which is said to roam north Fife.
Just a few weeks ago the beast was said to have been spotted a few miles away at Rathillet and then again at Newburgh.
A few weeks before it was allegedly spotted on the outskirts of Cupar. Something like 50 sightings have been reported in north-east Fife over the past five years.
But Mr Devine said his wife had not seen the animal clearly enough to tell whether this had been a feline creature or merely a stray dog.
With the rear garden bordered on three sides by a high wall he said it would be difficult for any animal to gain access.
With the house bordered on three sides by open fields stretching towards Tentsmuir Forest, he said any explanation might be possible.
It is feasible that any alleged black cat creature might roam a large area of Fife countryside. But with no reports of the beast ever attacking another animal and no reports of it ever being spotted in an urban area, there are doubts as to whether the cat might have been what was spotted.
Yesterday a police spokesman confirmed that officers had made an extensive sweep of the Leuchars garden, but had found no evidence to suggest that the attacking animal was anything other than a stray dog.
Police continue to take all alleged black cat sightings seriously, however, and continue to collate information on whether the mysterious beast exists.
Dundee Courier, 13 th July 2001
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