A mountain lion may have snuck into a California home and snatched a sleeping dog from the foot of a family’s bed on Monday.
Pescadero resident Victoria Fought said she was sleeping with her daughter around 3 a.m. when she woke to the sound of her 15-pound rescue dog barking, the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Fought reportedly saw the shadow of an animal entering through some French doors that were cracked open to let the dog in and out. She then watched the animal grab her dog from its bed and leave, according to sheriff’s office.
“As soon as I saw it walk out, I said, ‘That’s a lion,’” Fought told CBS 5 News of the rattling sight.
Authorities searched the property, finding large, wet paw prints at the entrance of the bedroom, as well as some blood. The dog is still missing.
“Obviously the family is very shaken,” Detective Sal Zuno told the San Mateo Daily Journal. “Unfortunately, their dog was taken, it is unfortunate that this was one of their family members, but we’re glad the people were not hurt.”
The family told CBS 5 News that years earlier, a mountain lion attacked one of their horses, which was able to escape.
Authorities are advising residents to secure their doors and windows, as more than half of California is mountain lion habitat.