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Good thing they didn’t name her “Yellow Belly”

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Did you all hear about this hero dog Angel? An 18 month old Golden Retriever saved her 11 year old little boy buddy from a cougar in their backyard. No, not a Courteney Cox kind of cougar, a real, live, scary growly wildcat.

Just look at that sad, yet strangely happy face. I dare you not to say “Awwww!” She’s saying, “Yep, I sure did show that silly old cat, didn’t I? Golly!” Left side: mauled. Right side: could care less.

I’m not saying Goldens are always the brightest bulb in the box, but man these dogs are loyal.

Fortunately the gods of irony were asleep this weekend and did not take the Angel name thing too literally, as she is still with us despite being pretty well beat up by the neighborhood wildcat.

I read this story with a smile on my face, as I reached down to pat Brody on the head. “Aw, Brody,” I said, “You’d save me from a cougar, wouldn’t you?” He looked up from his Bully stick and gave me a lick. Got your back, he replies.

As I’m relaying this story to my co-workers, the clinic dog, a 14 year old arthritic labrador, comes slowly waddling over with her rawhide. As she’s easing herself into a sitting position, Brody nuzzles the rawhide.

She growls mildly.

He yelps, expresses his anal glands all over my shoes, and huddles under the counter.

Yep. Sure am glad it was Angel there that cold Canada morning and not some other dog who shall remain nameless. And, sure glad that mountain lions are not too common around here.

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  1. She’s all over the news up here. When I first read the story, I was so worried it was going to end badly… “I saw the cougar chewing on her jugular.” I was like, “Oh no! :(” But she was okay in the end, she saved her boy, and the cop saved her. I’m so glad everything turned out okay.

  2. All over the news here too. My dogs would be all over that…as they watched me from indoors through the windows. But they’d bark really loudly and growl a lot. Maybe even call 911 or something or run to the neighbor’s house to get help.

  5. I was thinking the other day of how when I hear “tiger,” I think noble, majestic wild creature, but when I hear “cougar,” I think dangerous beast. I think it comes of living in North America and not, say, India. Probably would be the other way around if I moved to Siberia or Malaysia, I’d think.