A mountain lion snatched a barking dog from the bedroom of a California homeowner as she and her child slept just feet away, authorities said.
Victoria Fought said a big cat snuck into her Pescadero home at about 3 a.m. Monday as she slept with her teenage daughter, Catalina, and their rescue dog, a 15-pound Portuguese Podengo named Lenora. Fought’s bedroom has French doors that were partially open to let in fresh air, but she was awakened when the dog started barking aggressively. She then saw the shadow of an animal enter the room and snatch the dog.
“As soon as I saw it walk out, I said, ‘That’s a lion,’” Fought told CBS News. “It was shocking.”
Fought’s daughter said she heard Lenora let out a bark she had never heard before from the dog.
“I knew something wasn’t right, but I kept my eyes closed,” she told the station.
Detective Salvador Zuno, a spokesman for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, said the department and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have confirmed the animal was indeed a mountain lion based on paw prints found near the home in the rural coastal town.
“They live in a very rural area, which is essentially mountain lion territory,” Zuno told The Post early Tuesday. “What is unusual is the fact that this mountain lion got this close and actually went into the home.”
Mountain lions in the area typically tend to leave pets alone, preferring to hunt deer, Zuno said.
“But mountain lions are wild animals, they’re hunters,” he said. “So this mountain lion picked up the scent of the dog and hunted it.”
The incident appears to be isolated and there’s no ongoing search for the cat or the dog. The dog’s carcass has not been found, but bloodstains were found near the door — the lone signs of an intruder, Fought told CBS.
Zuno said he could not recall the last time a mountain lion attacked a person or a pet in San Mateo County, where residents can encounter a wide range of wild animals, including mountain lions, coyotes and poisonous snakes.
“If you’re in San Mateo County, especially in the rural, wooded areas, the chances of you coming across natural wildlife is pretty high,” Zuno told The Post. “But for now, this is being treated as an isolated incident.”
Zuno reminded homeowners to lock their windows and doors at night and to purchase an air horn for any unexpected encounters with large animals.
“They’re very easy to find, inexpensive, light and compact,” Zuno said of the devices. “And, you can carry them with you when you go hiking — you don’t want to be without a couple of safety tips.”