Mountain lion seen prowling Simi Valley neighborhood after 1 dog killed, another attacked: Video

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Friday, December 6, 2019
Mountain lion seen prowling in Simi Valley after dog killed
A mountain lion was seen prowling the streets of a Simi Valley neighborhood, the day after two dogs were attacked, one fatally, in the same area.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A mountain lion was seen prowling the streets of a Simi Valley neighborhood early Friday morning, less than 48 hours after two dogs were attacked, one fatally, in the same area.

A news videographer captured footage of the animal, wearing an apparent monitoring collar, about 1 a.m. in the area of Rising Star Ave and Moonshadow Street. The big cat was seen casually walking along a sidewalk as responding police officers kept a watchful eye from inside their patrol vehicles.

Video has also emerged of a family's anxious encounter with a mountain lion that lay down just outside a sliding glass door of their Simi Valley home on Thursday.

"It was purring and hissing at my dogs," 15-year-old Paige Rodnunsky said. "I go over, I was like, 'Please don't let it be the mountain lion.' Of course, it was."

The animal hung out on the patio for about 30 minutes before leaving, Paige said. Then it came back.

MORE: Simi Valley residents on high alert after mountain lion reportedly attacks 1 dog, kills another

Police warned Simi Valley residents Thursday to keep their pets indoors after several reports of a mountain lion that is suspected of attacking two dogs, including one that was killed.

"So the labradoodle was a little bit scared," she said, "but our border collie lab mix wasn't at all. He was actually kind of excited by it."

Her father was not home at the time.

"It's definitely nerve-wracking for homeowners who have dogs or cats," he told reporters.

Police had previously responded to two separate incidents of reported mountain lion sightings in the 5400 and 5500 blocks of Evening Sky Drive.

The first call came in around 10 p.m. Wednesday after a mountain lion attacked a dog, police said. The dog, named Sammy, was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

RELATED: Simi Valley man accused of fatally shooting protected mountain lion in the head

The second attack was reported at about 2 a.m. Thursday after a woman said she fought to protect her 6-year-old miniature Schnauzer. The woman's brother said she had opened her door to let her beloved pet, Pumba, out. Shortly after, Pumba spotted the mountain lion and charged at the big cat.

"The mountain lion bit the dog, and she jumped on top of the mountain lion and was trying to pry its jaws open to save her dog," the pet owner's brother said. "She got a cut on her finger, and she kept trying to stop the mountain lion from killing the dog for all she could."

The pet owner said the mountain lion didn't notice her until after her dog died. The animal then growled at her and she ran back inside her home.