A "hero" dog is recovering after fighting off a mountain lion, which was roaming around his family's a La Verne home in California on Monday, November 1, per <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pit-bull-mountain-lion-rocky-homes-backyard-la-verne-california/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=138505864" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS Los Angeles</a>. Footage of the pit bull, who is called Rocky, sees the brave pooch barking and taking on the mountain lion in a bid to protect his owner, Mary Padres, whose home is not far from the Angeles National Forest. "The mountain lion was looking right at me," Padres told the publication. "It was huge." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1455874902406402052]] While both of her dogs tried to bark the lion off the premises, surprisingly, it was Padres' smaller dog, Rocky, that chose to pursue the big cat. He reportedly ran right after it, out of their backyard, and up the hill behind their house Padres and her family went after Rocky armed with flashlights, despite the mountain lion being nearby. "We wanted to protect our dog," she told <a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KCAL-TV</a>. Sadly, Rocky sustained eight large puncture wounds that required 30 stitches, but a veterinarian says that he will recover. "We saw the hole all the way down to his brain," Padres said of his injuries, adding: "To make sure that I was OK, that’s the whole reason he went after that mountain lion." <img class=" wp-image-1263133586" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/11/B5ERD1-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="742" height="495" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Val Duncan/Kenebec Images / Alamy]] A sizeable mountain lion had been spotted in the area two times in the past fortnight, CBS Los Angeles reports. Padres believes it is the same one who was lurking around her home, and claimed that she had heard another animal being attacked after Rocky returned home safe. Speaking about the incident, she alleged that she heard "horrible crying, and then after that it's quiet". As reported by <a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KCAL-TV</a>, two weeks ago on October 18, a mountain lion was captured walking past a house just two-and-a-half miles away from Padres' home — Padres told the publication that she's "100% sure" it's the same big cat. Police are currently working with California Fish and Wildlife to determine whether the animal is a threat to other residents in the area. <h6>Feature image credit: Horizon International Images Limited / Alamy</h6>

'Hero' Pit Bull chases mountain lion from home's backyard into woods to protect his family

Top Stories

Animals

'World's loneliest orca' dies after spending her last few years isolated in cramped tank

Animals

11ft great white shark found with bite mark likely caused by an even larger predator

Animals

People are furious as hunter who killed husky is given 'ridiculous' light sentence

Animals

Missing man's body found inside a shark

Animals

Fifth grader builds wheelchair for his teacher's dog

Animals

Bobi the farm dog wins Guinness World Record for being the oldest dog ever