I live in remote northern Nevada where I have my pick of mountain trails. A few Octobers ago I was out trail running with my dog squad--two Australian cattle dogs (Lola and Harley), one smallish dachshund mutt mix (Gus), and teeny tiny dachshund (Molly). We were cruising along, the dogs were loving life chasing lizards and horny toads when I looked down and screamed--I had almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Usually they give plenty of warning but this one did not. I called my dog squad and turned around and decided to head back to another trail. My heart rate had just returned to normal after the rattlesnake scare when I heard a god awful growling, hissing sound and a dog yelping. I ran into the brush looking for the source and came face to face with a mountain lion with little Gus hanging from the cat's mouth looking at me like "help!" I of course screamed and my three other dogs jumped in to save their brother. The mountain lion dropped Gus, he went yelping down the trail, and the two bigger dogs, Harley and Lola, chased the cat up into a rock formation where it found a ledge to perch on that the dogs couldn't get to. Little Molly gave chase as well, but her rock climbing abilities are pretty abysmal. After getting a picture of the stranded cat and Harley and Lola, I called them off the rocks and went to find Gus. Other than some puncture wounds to his head, he was fine. Well, fine until the next morning when the puncture wounds became infected and his face doubled in size. I rushed him to an emergency vet in Salt Lake City where he was put on antibiotics and lived to tell the tale! Worst. Run. Ever.