iStockphoto / Karel Bock
A homeowner near Stockton, California was shocked when they looked at their home’s security camera and saw their dog chasing a mountain lion back and forth in the backyard, with the spritely cougar leaping around like it was a game.
Sandy Ali told NBC’s KCRA they were having a bible study in their rec room when a friend said ‘your dogs are playing’ to which they responded ‘I only have one dog.’ That’s when she fired up security camera and realized her dog was chasing a mountain lion around the yard.
Immediately springing into action, Ali went outside to retrieve her dog and saw the cougar ascend an entire tree in one leap. The video from her security camera was shared by KCRA reporter Lee Anne Denyer and the dog + puma can be seen running back and forth.
BIG CAT! Coming up on @kcranews at 10&11, we talked with the woman whose family dog chased a mountain lion through their yard this weekend.
"My friend looked out and said, 'Oh your dogs are playing' and I said, 'I only have one dog.'"
📷: Sandy Ali pic.twitter.com/lI9yyFLzgx— KCRA Lee Anne Denyer (@KCRALeeAnne) August 13, 2023
Ali told KCRA that she called 911 and first responders came out and attempted to trap the cougar in order to relocate it. But those efforts were unsuccessful and the big cat leapt away into a nearby field after they tried to tranquilize it before relocation.
According to the homeowner, she has lived in the Bay Area for years and this was the first mountain lion she’d ever seen. There are an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 cougars in California at any given time.
On YouTube, there are virtually ZERO results for ‘mountain lion plays with dog.’ I tried to find a second video to include here, but every video is of a puma attacking a dog…
Their numbers have been rebounding in recent years as they are protected by the California Endangered Species Act. Even still, their biggest threat continues to be deforestation/loss of habitat and drivers. Over 500 have died in the past 8 years due to car crashes.
In another Bay Area town, Belmont, California, this incident was filmed in January 2022. One mountain lion was seen savagely dragging another puma down the street after a deadly battle ensued. The aftermath was caught on a home’s security camera.