If you were to ask any dog owner out there, they would tell you that they would do just about anything for their pets, without expecting anything in return (besides the goofy looks and endless cuddles).
However, earlier this week, this hero dog’s story went viral after it nearly gave her own life to save her human from a rare attack by a mountain lion while the two were on a hike in the remote areas of Northern California.
Brave Eva Saves Her Human from a Vicious Mountain Lion
The 24-year-old Erin Wilson who works as a waitress was out of her truck at a roadside picnic area to head down a hiking trail to the Trinity River.
While walking, she heard something in the bushes. Her dog Eva was ahead of her and as she turned around, she saw a cat growling at her, and then it reached up and scratched her.
At first, she was confused and scared and she shouted and her dog came running. Eva is a 2 ½-year-old Belgian Malinois. This breed is known for its agility and intelligence.
Often, they’re bred purposely for self-defense and incorporated as police canines.
According to Wilson, this breed is “like a German shepherd on steroids or crack or cocaine. They’re driven dogs, a little crazy. If they don’t have something to do, they will destroy their environment by chewing or digging.”
At that desperate moment, Eva’s instincts kicked in and she was so fast-she came back to protect her owner who had just been attacked by a wild animal and tackled by the cougar.
Wilson explains that they wrestled for some time but that Eva got the cougar pretty fast. The mountain lion seemed thin and desperate and she doesn’t want to portray it as evil. She explains that the animal was probably hungry.
The drought conditions have made it even harder for it to find deer, their food of choice. This animal was doing what it evolved to do and Wilson was aware of it.
She knew that at some 115 pounds, she seemed like easy prey for the hungry cougar.
Attacks by Mountain Lions on Humans Are Rare, Say Wildlife Experts, but not Impossible
According to a game warden with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Captain Patrick Foy, who’s investigating this unpleasant incident, the attacks on humans by mountain lions are very rare due to this animal’s shyness.
Most of California is the habitat of the mountain lion; however, this is a rare occurrence and he’s seen it happen only a handful throughout 25 years of his career. This is why they don’t recommend that people make changes in their plans when hiking and recreating in the wild.
However, cougars aren’t harmless. In fact, when it got the jaws around Eva’s neck, the 55-pound struggled and fought. If you were to look at the anatomy of a lion’s skull, it’s excellently adapted to strong crushing power and this is how they kill prey.
They grasp on the neck or head and crush the animal to death. This is something the cougar tried to do to Eva, but Eva didn’t give up. After the scratch she got, Wilson began throwing rocks at the cougar when she saw that it was attacking Eva.
She bashed it in the skull as much as she could when her fight mode kicked in.
Desperate to find help, she went up to her truck and took a crowbar. She also flagged down a motorist for help. When she got back, the cougar had already dragged the dog several yards into the bushes.
The motorist took a PVC pipe from the trunk and with Wilson, they went towards the animals and hit the lion until it let go of Eva and ran off. Eva was leaping and ran up into the road. Wilson put her inside the truck.
Eva Was Seriously Injured from the Attack but Is Recovering
On the hour drive down the road to the vet’s office, Eva began convulsing and Wilson realized that her best friend had serious and life-threatening injuries.
This is when she started speeding up and didn’t give a f***.
When the vet examined Eva, she was diagnosed with fractures in the jaw and skull and the eyes were swollen shut. She had to spend a week in the clinic recovering. Although she didn’t need surgery, she may lose sight in the left eye.
If you want to help Wilson pay the vet bills, you can donate at the GoFundMe page. Donations are already pouring in and exceeding the amount that Wilson and her husband need for Eva’s recovery.
When she came home from the clinic, Eva had a new doggie bed and new stuffed toys.
Wilson said as soon as her jaw heals, she will play with them so much. She’s blaming herself for the whole incident. She knows that it’s thanks to her dog’s bravery that she’s not unharmed; however, her best friend has skull fractures and may go blind.
She knew before this that Eva was brave and protective; however, she never knew that she would come through for her like this.
She wrote an inspiring post on her Instagram saying “hug your pets, hug your family”.
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