When one imagines a 13-year-old Shih-poo with a mountain lion, nothing terribly pleasant comes to mind. Put a pane of glass between them, though, and it becomes an exercise in curiosity.
Or, at least, it did for Dash, a Colorado pup, and a big cat that wandered onto his back patio.
Sarah Boles, Dash’s mom, captured the entire exchange via video, reports Newsweek. And let’s just say, she was far more fearful than her tiny dog!
A Stare Down With A Mountain Lion
(Picture Credit: Faba-Photograhpy/Getty Images)A terrified Boles spotted a mountain lion wandering around the patio of her Grand Lake, Colorado home. To her horror, so did her pup, Dash, who was, of course, immediately curious.
In the video, Dash perches himself right at the glass of the door window to watch the big cat with his tail wagging eagerly. Eventually, the massive cat becomes aware of Dash, as well.
“He wants to eat my dog,” Boles says in the video.
But really, the mountain lion just appears inquisitive about the pup. Sure, he paws at the glass a few times, and without the glass, even the gentlest pawing from a mountain lion could do significant damage. But, the exchange largely appears to be quite curious.
As the mountain lion approaches the door, Boles attempts to call Dash back, but the pup doesn’t budge. His tail just wags on.
“Not going to lie,” Boles says. “This is really scary.”
Within the three-minute video, there are several still moments where both the pup and the cat just stare at one another. It’s a bit unnerving, so we certainly understand Boles’ fear.
At the end of those few minutes, the mountain lion seems to try to figure out the glass, then gives up and bounces away.
Boles Never Felt In Danger
Fearless dog called Dash stares down mountain lion (For global #wildlife #news, visit #wildtrails at https://t.co/qdysMKANMv) pic.twitter.com/dyLUduYGkM
— WildTrails.in (@_WildTrails) December 6, 2021
After posting the video to Storyful, Boles reported that “at no time was the lion aggressive.” She deduced, as does anyone who watches the video, that the mountain lion was just “curious,” as was Dash!
“Although I was a bit shaken, I don’t feel I was in any danger and the lion was curious about its own reflection and the dog,” she says.
She went on to tell Sky-Hi News that the mountain lion was “the most beautiful animal I’ve ever seen,” both “powerful” and “frightening,” which is an apt observation. “I knew the cat couldn’t come in, in my rational brain, but I’m five feet away and it’s tapping on the glass.”
Anyone could be a bit terrified in that situation.
Serena Rocksund, a Granby Wildlife Officer, reported that she, too, didn’t see behaviors from the cat that indicated any danger. Be that as it may, she advised that in such a situation, loud noises will scare a mountain lion off.
“Sarah was making noise but she was being pretty quiet, and with interactions like that we recommend people be very vocal and let them know a human is around,” advises Rocksund. “Mountain lions are naturally scared of people.”
It’s always important for pet parents to be careful when wild animals appear. DogTime has a full guide on what to do if you encounter wild animals, including mountain lions, while walking your dog here!
What would you have done if a mountain lion was staring down your dog through a window? Would you have been frightened? Let us know in the comments below.
