But as soon as she crossed the road to the hobby farm, west of Campbellville, she knew something was up. It was Saturday, Aug. 16 at about 10 a.m., and the animals -- goats and horses -- that normally move about freely weren't in their usual places.

"I noticed it was very quiet and still -- and nature's not still. I didn't hear a bird or anything," Rogers said.

It was then that she saw a large feline she estimated to weigh about 100 pounds.

"Right away, I thought it was a panther because it was black, large and slinking toward the barn," Rogers said. "It looked right at me and I looked at it, not believing what I was seeing."

Maintaining eye contact, Rogers said she slowly backed away until she was out of the animal's sight line. She then ran home to her husband. "She was freaked," said her husband, Doug.

"Surreal" was the word Jill used for the experience.

Further describing the animal, Jill said its body was about eight to 10 inches longer than that of her golden retriever.

It had a long tail "that curled right up," rounded ears and a wide face -- but not as wide as a tiger's.

Jill and Doug returned to the scene a few minutes later, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there; the animals were back in their meadow, looking happy as can be.

The theory Jill and Doug find most plausible is that someone's exotic pet was either set loose or broke free.

That, Jill said, would explain seeing an animal not common to that area and would also explain why the creature didn't seem scared by her presence.

WANTS TO WARN RESIDENTS

Jill didn't want to reveal the exact location where she lives or saw the animal, for fear of curious onlookers showing up.

But she does want to go public with her sighting so people -- particularly those in the country, near forested area -- are on alert.

"We take our dog for walks and I don't want to put him in jeopardy," she said.

Hassaan Basit, a spokesperson with Conservation Halton, said Jill's description of a large animal with a long tail and rounded ears does fit that of a certain type of cougar -- the eastern cougar -- that lived in this area long ago, although its coat isn't black but ranges from reddish to brownish yellow or grey.

"There are some pretty remote areas in Halton. It's not outside the realm of possibility that there may exist a small population (of cougars)," he said.

But it's unlikely that's the case.

"They haven't been confirmed here for many, many, many years," he said.

Jill and Doug might be on the right track thinking it could be a pet someone released, Basit said, and in that case it could be black.

Such releases do happen from time to time, although it's unfortunate because a pet cougar likely couldn't survive in the wild, he said.

Another unlikely possibility is that it's a bobcat or lynx. But in that case the tail would be stubbier.

And again, there's no evidence either animal exists here, Basit said.

Cougars normally avoid contact with people. They prey on a wide range of animals including deer, elk, birds and coyotes.

Stephanie Hounsell can be reached at sthiessen@miltoncanadianchampion.com.