A California woman says she was left traumatized and terrified after a mountain lion snatched her beloved dog right in front of her.

According to fox8.com, Laura McVay was walking her 12-pound Shih Tzu, Declan, one night last month near her mother’s home in Glendale when the large cat attacked. She said Declan was on a leash at that time.

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

McVay said she screamed and tried to pull her dog away without success.

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

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The mountain lion ran into the street, then up a nearby hillside with Declan in its mouth. McVay says the entire encounter probably 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, who has been staying with her elderly, ill mother, says she’s seen coyotes in the neighborhood and had heard about the occasional coyote attack on pets, but never cougars. She says she’s unsettled by 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 concerning the incident .