Vicious Dogs Keep Mountain Lion at Bay

Tina Lee Spray, 23, said she was awakened Saturday morning
by the sound of her three chihuahuas barking at the top of
their tiny lungs at the opening of her garage.

Spray said she looked out her daughter's window to investi-
gate the ruckus and was shocked to see her gang of 3-pound
dogs had cornered an angry-looking cougar in the garage.

The homeowner said the chihuahuas' barking kept the animal,
which appeared to be foaming at the mouth, at bay for 45
minutes until Riverside County Sheriff's deputies arrived.

"When they saw the dogs they said 'These little things?'
When they saw the mountain lion their jaws dropped," Spray
said. "They radioed, 'This is a full-size mountain lion and
it is not happy to see us.'"

Spray said the cougar made a run for it after officers from
the Department of Fish and Game shot it with tranquilizers
and she did not see the eventual capture.