A Glendora man is warning neighbors to stay alert after he says he fought off a mountain lion attacking his family dog outside their home earlier this month.
The frightening encounter happened on May 7 near the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, where residents say sightings of wildlife including bears, coyotes and rattlesnakes are common.
Homeowner Kevin Deal told KTLA’s Angeli Kakade he was upstairs in his house when he suddenly heard his 7-year-old Akita, Sasha, screaming outside.
“I heard a scream that could only have been a dog that was under attack,” Deal said. “It was that piercing scream.”
Deal said he rushed downstairs and initially believed Sasha may have cornered a coyote near the front door.
Sasha, a 7-year-old Akita from Glendora, is recovering after surviving a mountain lion attack outside her family’s foothill home on May 7, 2026. (Kevin Deal)
Sasha, a 7-year-old Akita from Glendora, is recovering after surviving a mountain lion attack outside her family’s foothill home on May 7, 2026. (Kevin Deal)
Sasha, a 7-year-old Akita from Glendora, is recovering after surviving a mountain lion attack outside her family’s foothill home on May 7, 2026. (Kevin Deal)
Sasha, a 7-year-old Akita from Glendora, is recovering after surviving a mountain lion attack outside her family’s foothill home on May 7, 2026. (Kevin Deal)
Sasha, a 7-year-old Akita from Glendora, is recovering after surviving a mountain lion attack outside her family’s foothill home on May 7, 2026. (KTLA)
But when he opened the door, he said he came face-to-face with a large mountain lion pinning the 95-pound dog to the ground.
“It had her completely under its control,” Deal recalled. “Its arms were wrapped around her waist, around her belly, and Sasha’s head was in its mouth.”
Deal said he immediately started yelling at the animal before kicking it to get it away from his dog.“I threw my arms up and said, ‘Get the F out of here,’ at the top of my lungs,” he said. “Then I swung back and kicked it. And thank God, it released my dog.”
Photos taken after the attack showed severe wounds to Sasha’s head, including what Deal said was one of the mountain lion’s teeth lodged in her skull.
“If I would’ve gotten there a minute later, she would’ve been gone,” Deal said.
Despite the violent encounter, Sasha is expected to recover.
Mountain lion kills Southern California family’s dogs in broad daylight
“We don’t have kids, so this is our child,” Deal said while holding the dog during KTLA’s interview Wednesday.
Deal also showed KTLA deep claw marks near the entrance of the home that he said were left behind during the attack.
The longtime Glendora resident said he’s now concerned for neighbors after hearing reports of daytime mountain lion sightings in nearby foothill communities.
“This lion has been spotted in the morning over in Glendora and Sierra Madre,” he said. “It’s not normal for them to be out during the day.”
Wildlife experts have previously told KTLA that mountain lions may travel farther into residential neighborhoods in search of food, particularly after wildfires disrupt their natural habitat and prey patterns.
Residents living in foothill communities are urged to keep pets close, avoid leaving food outdoors and report aggressive wildlife behavior to authorities.
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