Chihuahuas keep cougar at bay

SAGE, Calif., June 15 (UPI) -- A California woman said a mountain lion that wandered onto her property was cornered by a gang of unlikely guardians -- her trio of toy chihuahuas.

Ana 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 the garage at her Sage home, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, reported Monday.

Spray said she looked out her daughter's window to investigate 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. Authorities have not said whether the cougar was killed or released into the wild.