Natalie Davis said it’s part of their daily routine for her dog Axis to come out to the backyard and play, but that has all changed after two encounters with a mountain lion.
"We have a five-foot fence behind me here. He literally pounces right over it like it’s nothing," said Davis.
After the first encounter Davis said she didn’t think much of it, but Friday morning, the animal made its second appearance.
This time inches away from the family’s backdoor.
“We were sitting on the couch having coffee waiting for him to be done and come back in and I heard him bark quickly, our dog is not a barker, and so the second he barked I jumped up," explained Davis.
“I’ve got my hands above my head and I’m pounding on the glass and my husband quickly joins behind me. The most frighting thing I’ve ever been through" added Davis.
It’s not the first time this big cat has made its appearance in the city. Just this week there have been several reports of the mountain lion roaming around in SLO.
Some of those sightings were caught on camera.
“It's actually a big shocking because we’ve lived here for 18 years and coyotes yes and on occasion a wild turkey but never a mountain lion sighting," said Patti Holanda who lives near Irish Hills hiking trail.
While those open spaces have opened back up, it has left residents in the area looking over their shoulders.
“When I went hiking this week I was much more mindful of going up there. I was a little nervous," said Holanda.
“We have to be super vigilant it’s so dangerous that they are coming into backyards in city limits. It’s one thing to be up on the mountains but to have him here so much more dangerous," said Davis.
If you are involved in a close face-to-face encounter with a mountain lion, do not approach it or run away.
The city advises people to leave the area by backing away slowly and giving the lion a path to leave.
