A schnauzer is lucky to be alive after squaring off with a mountain lion at her home in LaVerne, in southern California—and the entire attack was captured on her owner's surveillance cameras.
The 3-year-old black dog, Holly Jolly, was out in the backyard of her gated Mountain Springs community home. Her owners Steve and Nicole, told KTLA5 that LaVerne is known for having lots of wildlife encounters such as rattlesnakes, coyotes, black bears, and mountain lions. Wildlife commonly roams around in the rural areas of Los Angeles County, often having run-ins with domestic pets.
Holly Jolly's owners were inside watching TV when their dog was attacked, which they told the outlet was the first time a mountain lion has come into their backyard. "We heard a yelping and my husband said, 'Is that Holly?' and I said, 'No, I think that's the television,' and he said, 'No, I think that's Holly,'" Nicole told the outlet.
Once they realized their dog was in harms way, they ran to the backyard to break up the fight, yelling loudly. But Steve was worried that wasn't enough.
"As soon as I heard how fierce the battle was, I was like there's no way," Steve relayed. "I was imagining like a skunk or something back here that she was just messing with, so then I went in and grabbed a gun."
Yelling was enough to scare the lion off after all, at least temporarily. When Steve returned with the weapon, the cougar was gone, giving them time to get their dog to safety. However, they did say that the big cat came back after 20 minutes or so, searching for its wounded prey. But it eventually left again when it could not get to the dog.
Holly's owners said that the canine was seen by a veterinarian for scratches, puncture wounds, and was given stitches for an injury.
"She's enjoying all the extra love, all the extra treats, all the extra attention," Nicole told the news outlet. "She's loving it right now."
Thankfully, Holly is safe, but her owners have learned a very valuable lesson—not to let her go into the yard by herself at night. Steve said he plans on going out with her from now on.
Big cats often come out at dusk and dawn to hunt and tend to focus on areas where they have previously found prey, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation. While they keep to a specific "home range," they will increase their zone if they are hungry.
Residents of the Mountain Springs community will have to be on the lookout for the cougar, since he now knows there is prey to be found. Steve said that the biggest reason they shared their story is to bring awareness to the community, and to let their neighbors know "that this thing is out and bold enough to jump in yards and attack a dog almost the same size."
