Mountain lion gets in house, snatches family dog from room with sleeping child

PESCADERO, Calif. -- Police in Northern California said a mountain lion got into a home and grabbed a small dog from a bedroom where a small child was sleeping early Monday morning.

Deputies with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said a mountain lion snatched 15-pound Lenore off her owner's bed at 3:30 a.m. in Pescadero, California.

"Lenore did her attack barking, very vicious attack sound that she does when she's not liking something," said owner Vickie Fought. "And then she instantly was silent."

Fought said her dog was sleeping in a doggie bed. She and her daughter Catalina Peso were also in bed when the mountain lion slipped into the room through their double doors.

"We had one open a few inches or so, I don't know, maybe six or eight inches wide," Fought explained. "Just for some fresh air."

Fought said, at first, she thought the mountain lion was their bigger dog Leo. Her daughter said she knew something was wrong because of the smaller dog's bark.

"I knew it wasn't like Leo, because it wasn't her normal bark," Catalina said. "Because she plays with him a lot and it didn't seem normal."

Mountain lions are very familiar in the area and Fought said one attacked their horse a couple years ago.

The family said it worries that the mountain lion could return.

"(I'm) going get like a lock or something," Fought said. "So the door only opens a little bit."

A California game warden tried finding paw prints to help track the mountain lion. If authorities find it, they have a few options, including capturing it and shipping it elsewhere so it doesn't return.