Hero Dog Takes On Mountain Lion To Save Owner's Life

May 28, 2022

A 2 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois is being hailed as a hero after a mountain lion attacked her owner on a hiking trail in northwestern California.

@eva_the_mal

Erin Wilson, 24, said she was at the White Bar Picnic area in Trinity County when a mountain lion attacked her.

"I'm just walking down the slope and the dog had run ahead of me. And I turn around and there's this cat just growling at me," Wilson told NPR.

"It swiped at me, scratching my left shoulder," she said. "I yelled out for help from my dog Eva. She was only a few yards ahead of me and attacked the lion."

But the large cat did not retreat.

"They battled for a few moments until I heard her cry," Wilson wrote. "The cat had her by the left side of her head. For the next several minutes I tried everything I could to free her. Eventually I ran to my vehicle for a weapon and flagged down assistance from a kind woman named Sharon. Together we beat at the cat while yelling until my dog was let go."

Wilson described the horrifying hour-long trip to get to the vet over rural roads.

"Midway through Eva began convulsing for several minutes at a time ... I didn't think she'd make it."

@eva_the_mal

Fortunately, Eva pulled through and received urgent treatment.

She suffered 2 fractures to her skull, a puncture into the sinus cavity and severe swelling around her left eye.

Wilson set up a GoFundMe to cover the vet bills and raised over $32,000. Eva is now home and expected to make a full recovery.

"My dog is my hero and I owe her my life," Wilson said.