A Sun Valley man says he saw a mountain lion drag away his beloved dog Duke, and he believes this attack has similarities with other big cat sightings in the area. Jane Yamamoto reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014.
A man heard frantic barking early Tuesday from the back yard of his northern San Fernando Valley before a mountain lion dragged away his 20-pound dog, one of several reported mountain lion sightings during the past week in the area.
Duke, a 6-year-old Chihuahua mix, was in his bed on the back patio when homeowner Harry Terdarsagyan heard the commotion. He looked out his upstairs window of his Sun Vally house, adjacent to a hillside, and saw the big cat dragging the dog away.
"He was fighting for his life," said Terdarsagyan.
A similar dog-mountain lion encounter was caught on a home security camera in the same area about one week ago. The homeowner's 80-pound boxer disappeared after the sighting.
Read: Lion Whisperer Rolls With Big Cats
On Jan. 3, two Rhodesian ridgebacks at a Burbank home near the Verdugo Mountains suffered cuts during a confrontation with a mountain lion.The homeowner estimated the mountain lion's weight at about 120 pounds.
Mountain lion attacks involving dogs also have been reported in San Bernardino County.
