DEADWOOD, S.D. (AP) — A Deadwood woman is warning pet owners after her small dog was attacked by a mountain lion the latest such incident in the Black Hills this year.

Karla Hawki's dachshund mix survived the encounter on March 10 but didn't come away unscathed, she told the Black Hills Pioneer.

"One of his toenails was pulled completely out and he has a big rip on the side of his face that required stitches," she said. "The vet said there was a nick on his collar, so we think his collar saved his life, preventing a puncture wound to the neck."

Additional injuries included puncture wounds on his back, face, scrotum, hip, and a three-inch gash in his side that required 10 staples. The attack happened when Callaway used his doggie door to go outside during the night.

"I got up to get dressed and go to work at 5 o'clock and there was blood all over my house," Hawki said. "It was just like, 'Oh my God, where did all of this blood come from?'"

Mountain lion encounters are on the rise in the area, according to Police Chief Kelly Fuller. Another dog was recently threatened in Deadwood, and a Chihuahua was killed by a lion in January in the nearby Central City area. There have been numerous lion sightings recently, and indications that one killed a deer on a local trail.

"They've been spotted near the trailhead, the trailer court, and even down here by the police department," Fuller said, adding that "I don't know if it's just an anomaly, or what."

Hawki said there have been lions in her yard before — usually in the wintertime — but they've never threatened pets.

"I think people need to be aware there's one out (there) that's tasted blood and is looking for pets," she said.

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Information from: Black Hills Pioneer, http://www.bhpioneer.com