Mountain Lion Snatches Dog From Inside Peninsula Home: Sheriff's Office

PESCADERO, CA – A mountain lion snatched up a small dog from inside a Peninsula home as the owners were sleeping nearby early Monday, the sheriff's office reports. The dog was atop the bed when it was grabbed and hasn't been seen since.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office says it happened around 3 a.m. Monday at a home in the 800 block of Native Sons Road in the town of Pescadero. A woman told authorities that she and her child were asleep, with their 15-pound Portuguese Podengo at the foot of the bed, when they awoke to a mountain lion in their room.

"This bedroom has French doors that were partially left open to let their dog out," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "At about 3:00 a.m. the dog began barking aggressively which woke up the adult witness."

"The witness states when she looked up at the French doors she saw a shadow of an animal enter the room, take the small dog from the bed and then walked out," sheriff's officials said.

The woman went out looking for her dog and spotted large, wet paw prints at her bedroom's entrance, officials said. She called 911 for help.

"Deputies searched the area and also located paw prints similar to a Mountain Lion," according to the sheriff's office. "We notified the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for any necessary follow up investigation."

The sheriff's department urged area residents to lock and secure their windows and doors.

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