Dakota (a cougar) was found in the mountains as a very young cub by Jeff and Taylor, orphaned by poachers that killed his mother. The then just married couple took him into their home and brought the cougar up themselves. Outraged by poachers, the couple bought the land surrounding the mountain and named it "Dakota's Ridge"- a point which Dakota loves to brag about.
Dakota has a major weakness for cat nip, and many times bullies Tucker (a housecat) to get it for him. He loves to play pranks on Tucker, who just can't seem to keep out of Dakota's way.
Jason is a tiger of few words. He's very quiet, preferring to be by himself. He came from a rich man who found out tiger's don't make good pets after cubhood. He is also very tolerant of cubs of various ages and species, so is a favorite playmate of all the kids.
Jeff runs the Dakota's Ridge Wildlife Reservation, along with his wife Taylor. They take in wildlife that had been abused or abandoned, and give them a place to stay until they can hope fully be introduced into the wild. Many animals will stay in the park for the rest of their lives, however.
Jeff found the body of a female cougar killed by poachers while on a hike he and Taylor, then newlyweds, were taking on a small mountain range. Taylor found the cougar's frightened cub a short distance from the body, hiding in a bush. Taking in the small animal and naming him 'Dakota'; they raised up the money to buy the surrounding wilderness and naming it 'Dakota's Ridge'. Since then, the surrounding ranchers have harrassed them and given them as many problems as they can think of.
