Angel saves boy from cougar attack

[CarMike]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americ...ack/index.html

(CNN) -- One lucky boy in Canada can say without a doubt that he has his own personal guardian angel -- not of the spiritual kind, but of the furry.

On Saturday an 18-month old golden retriever saved her owner from being attacked by a cougar while in the backyard of their home in Boston Bar, British Columbia, about 130 miles north of Vancouver.

The dog -- named Angel -- leaped into action and threw herself between her owner, 11-year-old Austin Forman, and the cougar that was charging at him.

Sherri Forman, Austin's mother, said her son was outside with Angel around 5:30 p.m. gathering firewood from their backyard. She explained that Angel normally runs around and plays when she is outside, but on this afternoon she was behaving differently.

"He had come in at one point to tell me how cute Angel was being because she was sticking pretty close to him in the yard, which was unusual for her," Forman told CNN.

In hindsight she realizes that Angel was protecting her son from an unseen danger.

"She intercepted the cougar," Forman said. "Austin came into the house very upset, and I had to get him to calm down so I could understand what he was saying. Finally he said 'there's a cougar eating Angel.'"

Angel and the cougar fought under the family's deck, while Austin's mother called 911 for help. A constable was in the area and able to make it to their home and kill the cougar quickly.

Forman said when her nephew pulled the cougar's body off Angel, who at first appeared fatally injured, the dog sucked in a "big breath of air and then got up." Ever the protector, Angel "walked to Austin, sniffed him to make sure he was alright, then sat down." Despite receiving a few deep bites and scratches Angel's prognosis is good.

"She had some pretty nasty injuries across the front of her head and neck" said veterinarian Jack Anvik who is treating Angel at the Sardis Animal Hospital. "If there had been enough time for the two of them together the cougar would have probably killed the dog," he told CNN.

According to his mother, Austin is so thankful for Angel's bravery that he "went to town with his grandpa and bought a huge steak for her."

"I feel very good now that we know she's alive and the fact that she saved me and survived is amazing," Austin told CNN.

And Angel appears to be in good spirits while she recovers at the Animal Hospital.

"She's a golden retriever," Anvik said. "They're always happy."

[shally]

Originally Posted by CarMike

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americ...ack/index.html

hey..cats gotta eat, too..... we got too many goldens running around canada, anyway.....lol

[Biggie]

What a badass dog.

[tuckahoeskin]

I saw this posted on The Corner on NRO the other day. The headline of the post over there was "Proof that dogs will do jobs that cats won't do." We have four labs, so you can figure I'm a sucker for dog-does-good stories. Glad the pooch is doing OK.

[RedskinsDave]

Another reason why dogs are better than cats.

[CNYSkinFan]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

Another reason why dogs are better than cats.

Amen brother. A heart warming story to be sure!

[InsomniaKiller]

Unnecessary cat-bashing in this thread! Boo!

Awesome story, though.

[BIGREDSKINSFAN1963]

i saw a report on this on cnn,the cougar actually died with his jaws wrapped and embedded in the dog's head.amazing story that's for sure!!!

[shally]

Originally Posted by InsomniaKiller

Unnecessary cat-bashing in this thread! Boo!

Awesome story, though.

AGREE..

cougars perform a vital service out here in the west..the cull out the weak links in the herd.. sounds like it was just doing what it was supposed to do.
we already have too many Canadians and their dogs up north of us..

damn shame....lol

[BIGREDSKINSFAN1963]

if we don't stop moving into these animals territory,this is gonna happen more often.sadly,man has an awful past when it comes to making animals extinct.

[HAWGZHEAD]

The report says they had a cat but it was busy either licking its but or sleeping

[InsomniaKiller]

Originally Posted by HAWGZHEAD

The report says they had a cat but it was busy either licking its but or sleeping

Ah-ha! This is a common misconception. A study was done recently to monitor how cats spend their time when their owners aren't around, and surprisingly it is NOT mostly spent sleeping. In reality, cats spend most of their time. . .

Looking out windows.

Seriously.

Also up higher on the list than you might think is the time they spend looking at food.

Anyway, cats are rad. Y'all need to stop the hate.

*The More You Know*

[Sweepea436]

Originally Posted by InsomniaKiller

Ah-ha! This is a common misconception. A study was done recently to monitor how cats spend their time when their owners aren't around, and surprisingly it is NOT mostly spent sleeping. In reality, cats spend most of their time. . .

Looking out windows.

Seriously.

Also up higher on the list than you might think is the time they spend looking at food.

Anyway, cats are rad. Y'all need to stop the hate.

*The More You Know*

CAT APOLOGIST!!! Hahahaha. I'm watching old yeller tonight to counter your "vibe". Seriously though, while I'm a dog guy, i dont mind cats......unless they are bigger than my dogs.........