A Glendale woman is devastated after her beloved Shih Tzu was snatched by a mountain lion right in front of her late Monday night.

Laura McVay told KTLA she was walking her 12-pound dog, Declan, near Matilija and Cleveland roads around 11:30 p.m. when the big cat attacked just steps from the front door of her mother’s home. Declan was on a leash at the time.

“I felt this strong presence and then a whoosh behind me to my right,” McVay recounted. “At the time, I had no idea what it was, and then he pounced on top of Declan.”

McVay said she tried to pull her dog away and screamed to scare off the animal, but nothing worked.

“He was so overpowering and strong. There was no way I was getting my dog back,” she said.

The mountain lion first ran into the street with Declan, then up a nearby hillside. McVay estimates the entire encounter lasted less than a minute.

“It felt like I was dreaming because I couldn’t believe this was happening,” she said. “It was very surreal, terrifying and traumatizing.”

McVay has been staying with her elderly, ill mother at her childhood home. She recalls seeing coyotes in the neighborhood and hearing about the occasional coyote attack on pets, but never cougars. What unsettles her most is how the big cat seemed unfazed by her presence.

“That’s the part that’s so jarring. He was so brazen to attack when I was standing right there,” she said. “It wasn’t like Declan was off-leash and wandering. He was definitely stalking us during the walk.”

McVay said she contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and submitted an online report.

Recent estimates place California’s mountain lion population between 3,200 and 4,500 animals. While not listed as endangered, experts say their numbers are threatened by a shrinking habitat and inbreeding.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Bridge, now under construction in Agoura Hills, aims to provide cougars and other wildlife safe passage over the busy 101 Freeway, where many end up as roadkill.

If you encounter a mountain lion, the National Park Service recommends staying calm and not running. Stand upright and hold your ground or back away slowly. If you’re with a small child or pet, pick them up without bending over because crouching can make you appear like prey.