Small dogs often have a reputation for being braver than their size suggests – and 13-year-old Shih-Poo Dash, from Grand Lake in Colorado, is more courageous than most. His owner, Sarah Boles, recently watched in horror as the brave pup stared down a mountain lion!
The video of the scary incident, posted across several social media platforms including YouTube and TikTok, has been viewed millions of times with commenters praising the intrepid pooch for his courage.
The lion paid Dash a visit at his home, staring at him through the glass door of the veranda. The tension in Boles’ voice is obvious as she says, “There is a big, big mountain lion on our patio. He…wants to eat my dog.’
Dash seems much less concerned than Boles, wagging his tail happily as he waits at the door to be let out to play with his new friend – the biggest kitty he’s ever seen!
A few seconds into the video, the lion prowls right up to the glass so the two animals are almost nose to nose. Dash’s owner can be heard anxiously shouting at her pet to get back as the lion raises a massive paw to tap on the glass!
Dash’s only response is to wag his tail harder while he continues to stare down the lion. Outside, the frustrated feline can be seen poking at the glass, looking round and opening its mouth.
While continuing to encourage her pet to move away, Dash’s owner can be heard commenting, “Not gonna lie, this is really scary.” Boles seems unwilling to get too close to the glass in case the lion sees her too and it makes the situation worse.
She’s equally reluctant to abandon her pet and continues to shout to him to come away as the lion prowls up and down the patio.
After a tense two minutes, the lion gives up and trots off. Immediately, a delighted Dash can be heard barking in triumph with his stressed owner muttering, “My god, he did it!”
Speaking to local paper Sky Hi News, Granby Wildlife Officer Serena Rocksund commented that mountain lions are naturally scared of people and this one would probably have turned tail if Boles had made a loud or sudden noise.
Shih-Poos are a mixture of Shih-Tzu and toy Poodle breeds. Interestingly, ‘Shih-Tzu’ translates as ‘lion dog’ but refers to the breed’s appearance rather than its ability to chase off lions. Seems like brave little Dash didn’t get the memo!
