A usually quiet stretch of Oak Glen is rattled after a resident’s large mastiff vanished from a yard in the San Bernardino foothills this week, leaving behind a trail of blood and a lot of worried neighbors.
Residents say the dog disappeared from the rural property and that a search of nearby brush turned up the bloody path where the animal was last seen. With no sign of the mastiff, the leading theory in the neighborhood is grim: that a mountain lion may have carried the dog off.
Those details were shared with KTLA. Seventeen-year-old neighbor Gianna Sedillo told the outlet she was the one who spotted the blood trail and offered a blunt warning to fellow pet owners: “You just have to keep an eye on your animals, especially with this wildlife.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife told reporters it has not received any formal reports of mountain lion attacks in the immediate Oak Glen area, according to KTLA. Biologists will review any new reports that come in, which means the mastiff’s disappearance is now part of a watch-and-wait situation for state officials and locals alike.
Nearby attack captured on camera
Fears in Oak Glen are not coming out of nowhere. Earlier this month, in nearby Yucaipa, surveillance cameras recorded a mountain lion strolling into a backyard in broad daylight and killing two large family dogs.
As detailed in backyard horror in Yucaipa, officials described the daytime attack as unusual, since mountain lions more often hunt deer. That footage has only sharpened nerves for pet owners along the foothills who now feel that what happened on video in Yucaipa might be playing out off camera in Oak Glen.
State officials urge caution
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife urges residents who live near wildland areas to tighten up their routines around pets and livestock. The agency advises people to supervise animals, secure livestock, and use sturdy enclosures for pets kept outdoors, according to CDFW.
State guidance also lays out common signs of mountain lion predation and explains how to report possible incidents so biologists can evaluate each case. According to CDFW, officials prioritize nonlethal options when possible and will assess any depredation reports they receive to decide what comes next.
What this means for local pet owners
Conservation groups point to an ongoing tension between expanding communities and mountain lion habitat in Southern California. Several mountain lion populations in the region recently received protection under the California Endangered Species Act, a move intended to preserve habitat connectivity and cut down on long-term conflict. That decision, outlined by the Center for Biological Diversity, is meant to help guide future conservation work and infrastructure planning so people and wildlife can coexist more safely.
For now, the advice is straightforward, even if putting it into practice can be tricky in wide-open foothill country. Anyone who spots a mountain lion, finds fresh tracks, or discovers injured or missing animals is urged to contact local law enforcement and report the encounter to state resources. CDFW’s Human‑Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit explains how to file a report and offers practical steps to help protect pets and livestock.
Neighbors in Oak Glen say they plan to keep trading sightings and updates among themselves while officials sort through the evidence. Until there are answers about what happened to the missing mastiff, no one in the area is likely to let their animals out of sight for long.
