Sheriff

Mountain Lion Snatches Small Dog from Pescadero Home: Sheriff

Vickie Fought says she saw "wet, very clear, large paw prints" after her dog was taken from her bedroom

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office is reminding residents on the Peninsula to lock and secure their homes after a women reported that a mountain lion attacked her dog in Pescadero, California.

Deputies responded early Monday morning to a report of a mountain lion entering a home and snatching a small dog. Vickie Fought told deputies she and her 12-year-old daughter were sleeping in a bedroom with their small dog at the foot of their bed and the back door open a crack.

Fought said they woke up in the middle of the night when their dog, Lenore, started barking.

"That's when I saw what I thought was our bigger dog walking in," Fought said.

Seconds later, Fought said Lenore, a 15-pound Portuguese Podengo, went silent.

Fought said she thought Lenore finally recognized the bigger dog. That was until, Fought added, "I saw the lion walk back out the door."

Fought's bed is about a foot away from the back door. Fought said she did not see the lion's head. However, by the animal's size and walk, she knew exactly why Lenore went silent.

"As it walked down our path, I thought, 'That looks a lot like a lion,'" she said.

Then she saw evidence that confirmed her fears. "Wet, very clear, large paw prints walking in," Fought said, adding that she also saw drops of blood.

The Foughts live in the hills of Pescadero, an area where it is not uncommon to see a mountain lion in the fields near their house. But Fought never expected a mountain lion to walk into their house.

"It's hard to fathom," she said. "It's beyond what we thought."

The Department of Fish and Wildlife were notified of the incident, the sheriff's office said.

On Monday, a state wildlife warden looked for paw prints or any sign of the mountain lion near the property but did not appear to find any evidence other than the blood on the bedroom door.

For mountain lion safety tips, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Lion.

NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd contributed to this report.

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