Roger Schultz said his backyard surveillance camera showed video of the large mountain lion walking away with one of his pets dangling from its mouth.
"They lived a great life, but it's a product of where we live," Schultz said. "We have to respect nature. We have to respect where we live.
"And we learned a lot from this, and I think talking to my neighbors they have, too."
Shultz and his wife were out of town last weekend, watching the live video of his 8-year-old Husky Winter, and their 2-year-old Anatolian Shepherd Summer playing in the backyard.
Around 2 p.m. on Saturday, he watched as it appeared his two dogs were asleep in the backyard. Or so he thought.
"A couple hours later I checked again and said, 'Wait a minute they're not moving,'" he said. "I called the neighbor, asked him to come up and check. He was like, 'Dude, they are mauled seriously.'"
Wildlife officials said what's unusual about this incident is that it happened in the middle of the day; most mountain lion attacks happen at night.
"Normally, mountain lions would be preying on mule deer," said Court Klopping, a spokesperson with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "They are prevalent in that area, so we're not exactly sure what drove them to the yard to attack these dogs."
Klopping said this is the second mountain lion attack reported in Southern California this year.
"Mountain lions are much less likely to approach if a human is present," Klopping said. "In fact, if a human is present, you're more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion."
Schultz said he's planning to build a fortified enclosure when they decide to adopt other pets. In the meantime, he said this incident has prompted other neighbors to be more cautious.
"Head on a swivel; look up, look down, look side to side," Schultz said. "Just be aware of your surroundings out here."