Mountain lion kills Glendale family’s dog
A Glendale family has a warning for residents living near wilderness areas to always remain vigilant in the wake of a mountain lion attack Monday evening that left their dog dead.
Erinn Brown said she was getting ready for bed shortly before 11 p.m. when she let Wiley, the family’s standard poodle they’ve owned for 11 years, go out into the backyard. She returned 15 minutes later to let him back in, but Wiley was nowhere to be found.
Brown tried to signal Wiley, hoping to hear him bark in response. Instead, she heard a “horrible rattling” sound coming from the other side of her pool.
“I looked over there and there was just this huge, pale sort of tiger-shaped animal that was trying to jump over the fence,” Brown said.
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
The mountain lion was able to escape into the hillside behind Brown’s home in the Whiting Woods area of north Glendale but not before leaving behind what it had done to Wiley.
“I could see that our dog’s body was just limply hanging off of the wrought-iron fence,” Brown said. “The cat had bitten his neck and there was just blood all over the place — he was clearly dead.”
After finding the dog’s body, Brown said she and her husband, Ryan, had their five children stay in the house as they went outside to bang together pots — hoping the noise would scare the mountain lion away if it was still close.
Brown said the experience was both sad and frightening — that she told her children, all under 11 years old, that they couldn’t play outside until she and husband were sure they were safe.
Since the attack, Brown said she hopes other households near areas where wildlife roam are more aware of their surroundings and always exercise caution — especially when it comes to pets and children.
“We understand that we are in the mountain lions’ space, and that’s the price you pay to live near wilderness,” she said. “But I think it’s important to always be careful, even when you haven’t seen a reason to be careful.”
--
Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
MORE FROM GLENDALE
Meet your Glendale City Council candidates
Burbank, Glendale police are ‘not affected’ by Trump’s immigration orders, officials say
