They got lucky that all they are mourning is the dog!

quote:

PESCADERO, Calif. — A Northern California family is mourning the loss of their dog after authorities say a mountain lion snatched the 15-lb. Portuguese Podengo from a bedroom in their home.

A woman and her child had been sleeping in their Pescadero home with the dog at the foot of the bed early Monday when the dog started barking aggressively. The woman said they kept the room’s French doors slightly open so that the dog could go outside as it needed.

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office says the woman reported seeing the shadow of an animal enter the room, take the small dog and leave.

When the resident went out after the dog, she discovered large wet paw prints at the bedroom’s entrance. Responding deputies found prints suggesting a mountain lion.

She then called 911.

Deputies arrived to find paw prints similar to a mountain lion in the area and notified wildlife officials.

Authorities called the incident “very rare.”

There have been no additional sightings of the mountain lion or the dog.

Link

A mountain lion IN THE HOUSE? Holy crap that is terrifying.

Just as easily could have been a human it grabbed. Dog probably saved their lives. . .

Yikes!

They baited that lion.

The Lion got the wrong organism.

I love dog doors, but damn.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!
Mountain Lion Fun Facts:
Size: Up to 9 feet in length, including tail and adult males can weigh 120 pounds. Can be 3 feet tall at the shoulder. 4th largest of the big cats.
Performance stats: Horizontal leap of 40 feet. Vertical leap up to 20 feet. Short distance sprint up to 50 MPH. Can cover large distances at a steady lope of 10 MPH. Adept climber.
Hunting style: Ambush stealth attack, often killing by a bite that severs the spine. Solitary and nocturnal.
Ever watch your house cat stalk and attack? Think of your house cat at 120 pounds.
We have had lots of posts about bear defense on SF. Bears can be scary but mountain lions are way more concerning to me. And we have them in the Yoop.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I love dog doors, but damn.

If they'd had a dog door, the dog might still be alive. They left a French door open for the dog and the rest is history.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
...[snip]...adult males can weigh 120 pounds. ...[snip]...

I thought this seemed kinda light. For some reason I had 180# stuck in my mind as a typical weight for an adult male lion. Looking at Wikipedia, they are suggesting a range of 120-220 pounds for as adult male. They are an impressive and beautiful animal, especially when seen in the wild, but they are not pets and are very dangerous.

I keep the garage door open about a foot to accommodate food, water and bed for outdoor kitty.
Came out one morning after hearing a loud commotion.
Found a raccoon enjoying Sam's dry food.
Yelled and he took off, never to return; far as I know.
Sam wasn't injured.

I just saw a mountain lion for the first time yesterday. I was in Salem NY around 7am on my way to a job and it crossed the road ahead of me. I stopped at the point he crossed to try to get a better look but the stuff he went into was so thick he just disappeared.

I stopped leaving the garage door open a crack several years ago after picking up a paint from a grated shelf and seeing a good sized copperhead coiled underneath it. btw, Something tells thats not the last time they will see that cat...

Given that California voters banned hunting Lions with dogs, as the older Mt Lions (who were dog aware/afraid) die and new ones come aboard, suspect we'll be reading more similar stories.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jimb888,

At the risk of getting flamed, I'm just going to come out and say it. How incredibly stupid are these people? Leaving a door open at night? Really? I guess they never considered that snakes, critters, predators, and any number of other unwanted visitors could end up in their home. The dog paid a price, but these people are damn lucky the cat didn't want something a bit larger for dinner.

They're lucky they didn't find this little guy in their bed..

Nothing comparable to that story, but we had a dog door in the house we lived in when we did ranch work in the Arizona desert. We had a cat that brought us gifts several times, like a little pocket mouse that hid up inside one of our chairs. Played hell getting that out of there.

Most memorable time was when she brought us a live Gamble's quail at Christmas time. It was hilarious watching that thing running around the house, and trying to hide in the Christmas tree.

Dumb cat. It's partridge in a pear tree, not a quail in a pine tree.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Dumb cat. It's partridge in a pear tree, not a quail in a pine tree.

Ya gotta work with what ya got

I love mountain lion stories. We even have some around here. Tracks around here are seen from time to time. Wildlife folks deny it because it would be a can of worms for them to explain.

At Easter I go to Moab, UT. I lead or tailgun a trail named Hells Revengs. Near the end is a final obstacle named Rubble trouble. This year I was tail gunning and some guy was stuck so to entertain the folks I mentioned the "hole" in the rocks ahead, and what a fine lion's den it would make. Then I mentioned the pile of brush about 20' off the trail from where the guy was having trouble. Under the brush pile was a bunch of cow bones. Cows don't crawl there to die, but lions pile brush on their kills to hide them. No worries, its been there for a number of years and all the cow hide and flesh has decayed.

While I was explaining that story a guy came back to talk. He had a story about hiking in the mountains when he got back to his parked car there was one on his hood, sound asleep. It seems it liked the warmth when he parked it and walked away. He said it snarled at him, his dog whimpered and it walked off. More fun times.

^^ yup ^^. Where I go climbing the dept of transportation takes gut shot and road kill deer off the highway and toss them over the road right where I drop into my spot so they roll down the hill. They usually don't roll far, commonly @ 100 feet or less. Every night the Mt Lions come and drag them down the rest of the hill. They'll get them 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, often eat till they're full and cover the carcass like you say so they can come back the next day. You can smell it. Despite this hard work there is an impressive amount of bones that still get left behind. For some reason the larger horse and elk bones, which are more rare, are more likely left. Peak season is deer hunting season in the fall, it tapers off the rest of the year. I've never seen a cougar here (have other places), but plenty of evidence that they are here nightly.