Placerville, California resident Kirk Fetter recently proved not all heroes wear capes. But they do wear underwear.
Fetter woke up just before midnight on Oct. 28 when his wife shouted "Tiki needs help. Come help her!" Tiki is the family dog; a terrier shepherd that was dragged off a porch and into the woods by a mountain lion. Fetter didn't even consider putting clothes on before racing outside in nothing but his underwear.
"Alls I saw was a big old long tail, first instinct was to save my dog," Fetter told Fox 40 Sacramento. He added, "It's a family member. You got to save your family." The Fetter's adopted Tiki just before their 7-yaer-old daughter was born.
The mountain lion dropped Tiki once Fetter confronted him, a moment Fetter believes lasted between 30 and 40 seconds. Though a neighbor administered six staples to close wounds around Tiki's neck and throat, she is on the way to a full recovery. Chanida, Fetter's wife, would rather not think about what losing Tiki would have done to the family.
"She's like my first daughter," she said. "I had her, maybe she was like 3 months old. I fed her like my baby."