Mountain lion snatches, eats pet dog in Colorado

A mountain lion attack in Colorado Springs claimed the life of a man's dog last week, CBS Denver reports.

The dachshund's owner said he was out walking his dog in a gated community on the city's southwest side when the wild cat jumped out of the bushes, grabbed the canine, took off and ate it.

Parks and Wildlife officials caught the mountain lion with a trap and euthanized it.

Neighbors say although the attack is frightening, it's not unusual.

"We know there are mountain lions in the area, there have been other attacks several years ago," one resident told the station. "Our backyard neighbor - a mountain lion climbed a tree and jumped onto her deck and took her dog."

In another mountain lion scare last year, a female jogger was slightly injured when one chased her before returning to a deer carcass it was eating.

"I really thought he was going to attack me," said the jogger, Lindsey Grewe. "I had visions that I was going to get eaten."

Wildlife officials advise that people should run away if they encounter one of these animals in the wild. Instead, residents should back away slowly and make themselves appear as big as possible.