La Crescenta Family Mourns, And Warns, After Visit By Mountain Lion

LA CRESCENTA (CBSLA.com) — The Mattersteigs just held a memorial in the backyard of their home for a precious member of their family.

"I saw a crimson-red color of something about that size and I thought, 'Oh, God, no,'" said Kim Mattersteig, who found traces of her Jack Russell terrier, Bridgette, in her yard after she was presumably eaten by a wild animal. "This is where we found her paw, her collar and some tissue matter…. She was the light of our life and she was part of the family."

The Mattersteigs are convinced that a mountain lion came onto their property Nov. 23 and killed their dog. They say they don't want to see this happen to anyone else, so they're warning other hillside residents to be wary of wild animals.

A sign near the Mattersteigs' home warns, "Mountain lions have been seen in the area."

The family recently shot video of a bobcat outside their house, but they're convinced it was a mountain lion that killed Bridgette.

"These are definitely claw marks … this is not from a coyote, according to animal control," said Kim Mattersteig as she pointed to some tracks in the dirt.

National Park Service researchers say domestic pets are not typically a part of a mountain lion's diet. Nonetheless, they said it's not an impossible scenario.

Mattersteig says her daughter and husband saw a mountain lion six days after the attack. Her daughter scared it away with an air horn.

Since then, they've sealed the doggy door to their backyard to keep their other pooch, Louie, from getting out.

"We're just fearful," Mattersteig said. "We don't want that to happen to another person, a child, a pet. We just want this word disseminated as far out as possible."