The family said the attack happened around 1:30 p.m. just over a week ago, less than a foot from the kitchen door of their home on the immediate foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, an area that is no stranger to mountain lion sightings.
The dog, a 95-pound Akita named Sasha, is recovering well and remains in good spirits. Owner Kevin Deal said he ran outside after seeing the attack and intervened.
"If I would've gotten here a minute later, she would've been gone. I'm convinced of that," said Deal. "The lion had already bitten her up here. It got her under the neck. It was just a matter of one more bite to hit the jugular. It missed it by just that much."
Photos of Sasha's injuries show the severity of the encounter, including one image where a mountain lion's fang remained lodged in the dog's head after the attack.
Deal said he fought the animal off by screaming and kicking it until it released Sasha.
Wildlife experts say mountain lions frequently travel through foothill communities and nearby canyons in search of food. They add that sightings have become more common as development expands into wildlife habitats and as recent fires may have affected the animals' natural environments.
Sasha continues to recover but still has some swelling, according to the family. They've heard from neighbors who say they've seen mountain lions hunting in the area during the daytime, not just at night.