A loyal dog has come to the heroic defence of her owner from a mountain lion attack in northern California.
Eva is a two and a half year old Belgian Malinois. She lives in Trinity county, California, with her owner Erin Wilson. On Monday, Erin decided to take Eva on a walk at the Trinity River located near unincorporated Big Bar, thinking nothing much of it.
However, the relaxing walk soon turned sour when they encountered a cougar.
Erin was walking on the popular hiking trail with Eva just a few yards ahead of her. Suddenly, a hidden mountain lion lunged out from her hiding spot and made a swipe at Erin, with the mountain lion’s claws tearing through Erin’s jacket and scratching her left shoulder.
In pain, Erin called out to Eva, and the two and a half year old Belgian Malinois promptly hit back at the mountain lion.
Eva the heroic dog who defended her owner Erin Wilson with all her heart. Credit: Erin Wilson
Despite the significant difference in weight, Eva put up a resilient defence but was ultimately outmatched by the mountain lion. Eva sustained multiple injuries in her battle. Eva was bitten in the head by the cougar, who refused to let go even when Erin started pelting the wild animal with rocks and sticks.
She also gave the animal a taste of her fists, stuck her fingers in the cougar’s eyes, and choked it in order to try and get the mountain lion to release Eva. But the animal would not release Eva.
Help From Passing Stranger
After trying all she could, Erin raced back to her pickup truck and grabbed her tire iron. She also managed to wave down a passing car for help.
Fortunately, the driver of the passing car, Sharon Houston, was glad to help out Erin. Sharon grabbed a PVC pipe and some pepper spray, and along with Erin and her iron rod, headed off to confront the beast.
When the pair found Eva, she had already been dragged off the trail by the mountain lion. Together, Erin and Sharon used their tools to beat up the lion. In the end, Sharon sprayed the animal with pepper spray and the mountain lion finally fled.
Eva suffered severe injuries when she came to her owner’s defence against a mountain lion. Credit: Erin Wilson
Erin was treated for scratches and bruises. Eva however, wasn’t so lucky. She had suffered two skull fractures as well as damage to her left eye and sinus cavity. However, she is now in a guarded condition after she underwent treatment.
Erin and her husband, Connor Kenny, are hopeful that Eva will pull through this. After all, she’s clearly a fighter.
Wildlife officers have already taken action to find the culprit mountain lion. They have collected samples from both Erin’s and Eva’s wounds and are trying to trap the cougar.
It’s rare for a mountain lion to attack a human. But in these cases, the aggressive animals were usually killed if they were caught.
Meanwhile, Erin has already planned how to thank Eva for jumping to her defence – with some plush new toys and a big fillet of steak.
The heroic actions of this dog to defend against a mountain lion might make her a fantastic security dog. But security dogs aren’t cheap. Check out the eye-watering amount this family paid for their security dog!!!
