Dog saves man who saved him

WILDOMAR, Calif., May 7 (UPI) -- A California man facing a charging mountain lion was saved by the dog he had once saved from being put down, authorities say.

Hoagie, a mixed breed, ran between the Wildomar man and the big cat Tuesday afternoon at a Lake Elsinore campground, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. The dog and mountain lion went at it, with the dog nearly being killed before the cat ran off.

"There's no question the dog saved his life," said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

The man and his wife, who had been walking further back, were not hurt. But it took four hours of surgery to save Hoagie, the Times said

Park rangers closed the Blue Jay Campground while they searched for the mountain lion.