SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California woman punched a mountain lion Thursday and tried to pry its jaws open to save her dog from an attack in her backyard, officials said.

The unidentified woman suffered a minor cut after the mountain lion attacked her miniature Schnauzer in the city of Simi Valley near Los Angeles, police Sgt. Keith Eisenhour told KNBC-TV.

Her dog died. The attack happened after a report that another dog was injured by a mountain lion in the same area late Wednesday.

The lion ran away from the woman’s backyard after state wildlife officers arrived.

Eisenhour told KTLA-TV the lion’s whereabouts are not known.

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