Family Pet Saves Boy from Cougar Strike
The story could have been more tragic had it not been for his pet golden retriever Angel who bravely threw herself between the lunging cougar and her master.
Text Size:
January 6, 2010
Last weekend, 11-year-old Austin Foreman came face-to-face with a wild cougar while gathering wood near his home in British Columbia. The story could have been more tragic had it not been for his pet golden retriever Angel who bravely threw herself between the lunging cat and her master.
According to Gimundo.com, the two animals engaged in a ferocious struggle, broken up by the constable who had been called to the scene and shot the cougar from close range.
Miraculously, the brave dog survived, and although she had suffered serious wounds at the cougar's jaws, she's expected to make a full recovery.
After the incident, Austin's mother Sherri told the news provider she was grateful for the dog's intervention, calling her "our guardian angel."
According to the Wilderness Medical Society, nearly 2,000 people died in the U.S. due to animal encounters during the decade 1991 to 2001, and the average number of fatalities is 177 per year.
For those at risk of wild animal encounters there are many ways to protect themselves ahead of time. They include refraining from approaching, teasing, abusing or threatening wild animals, says SimpleSurvival.net.
When meeting one unexpectedly it is important to back off slowly. If it appears as though the animal might attack, it is best to make oneself appear to be larger by raising arms and extending fingers, but without making any quick movements.
The source also says that those camping in the wilderness should keep their campsite clean as garbage may attract wild animals, and always travel with others.
Last weekend, 11-year-old Austin Foreman came face-to-face with a wild cougar while gathering wood near his home in British Columbia. The story could have been more tragic had it not been for his pet golden retriever Angel who bravely threw herself between the lunging cat and her master.
According to Gimundo.com, the two animals engaged in a ferocious struggle, broken up by the constable who had been called to the scene and shot the cougar from close range.
Miraculously, the brave dog survived, and although she had suffered serious wounds at the cougar's jaws, she's expected to make a full recovery.
After the incident, Austin's mother Sherri told the news provider she was grateful for the dog's intervention, calling her "our guardian angel."
According to the Wilderness Medical Society, nearly 2,000 people died in the U.S. due to animal encounters during the decade 1991 to 2001, and the average number of fatalities is 177 per year.
For those at risk of wild animal encounters there are many ways to protect themselves ahead of time. They include refraining from approaching, teasing, abusing or threatening wild animals, says SimpleSurvival.net.
When meeting one unexpectedly it is important to back off slowly. If it appears as though the animal might attack, it is best to make oneself appear to be larger by raising arms and extending fingers, but without making any quick movements.
The source also says that those camping in the wilderness should keep their campsite clean as garbage may attract wild animals, and always travel with others.
