A La Verne, California, rescue dog chose to protect his family rather than flee when his owner Mary Padres last month opened up the back door of her house and spotted a huge mountain lion staring back at her. The 43-year-old civil engineer and fashion designer never expected her dog Rocky to leap into action the way he did. She describes Rocky as “not an aggressive dog” and “sweet and very mellow.” “I opened my sliding door, and as soon as I opened it, I saw the mountain lion literally staring at me,” Mary told The Epoch Times. “He was pretty much ready to hunt the dogs.” Padres, who also runs a dog rescue, adopted Rocky because of his playful demeaner. Rocky repaid his savior by charging the mountain lion. “His instinct of protection took over his brain,” Mary said. “It was his character trying to save me, it was …