Woman's Love for Dog Shines Through in Mountain Lion Attack

Pumbaa, who sadly didn't survive, wasn't the only dog attacked this week in Simi Valley, Calif.
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 6, 2019 2:27 PM CST
The Mountain Lion Attacked Her Dog. She Started Punching
This June 2015 remote camera image shows a female mountain lion roaming in the Santa Monica Mountains in California.   (National Park Service via AP)

They say there's no love like a mother's love, and that applies to fur babies, too. In Southern California, that love shone through from one woman who valiantly fought to save her dog from a mountain lion. HuffPost reports the attack on Pumbaa, a miniature schnauzer, took place in Simi Valley Thursday, when Pumbaa's owner let the dog out around 2am because she thought it had to go to the bathroom. The owner's brother, IDed only as Brian, tells NBC4 that when she and the dog stepped outside, she spotted the mountain lion in her yard, and the dog charged. His sister then "jumped on the mountain lion and tried to pry its jaws open to save her dog because she loves her dog so much," Brian says. "She obviously cared about her dog very much, as all dog owners do," Sgt. Keith Eisenhour added. "She tried to fend the animal off by punching it [and] elbowing it."

Authorities say she eventually had to back off because the mountain lion started hissing at her, the Ventura City Star reports. The owner suffered only a minor injury, but sadly, Pumbaa didn't survive. When police arrived in response to a call about the attack, they found the mountain lion eating the dog before it ran off into the hills. Multiple reports of mountain lion sightings in the area came in throughout the morning. In fact, another dog had been attacked Wednesday night, a few hours earlier than the schnauzer attack, though that dog survived, KABC reports; the mountain lion in that case was spotted wearing a tracking collar, per NBC4. A police alert warned residents to "please make sure your animals are indoors." (More mountain lion stories.)

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