Eva, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, reportedly jumped to the defense of her owner, 24-year-old Erin Wilson, after she was attacked by a mountain lion Monday northwest of Sacramento.
Wilson had taken Eva out for an afternoon walk when a mountain lion lunged and swiped at her, scratching her arm through her jacket, according to The Sacramento Bee. “I yelled ‘Eva!’ and she came running,” Wilson said. “And she hit that cat really hard.”
Eva fought with the mountain lion but was eventually overpowered when the cougar bit down on the dog’s head and refused to let go, according to The Associated Press. State wildlife officials stated that Wilson attempted to help her faithful companion by throwing rocks and sticks at the mountain lion and at one point even attempted to gouge out its eyes, but it did not work, Fox29 reported.
State wildlife officials are investigating a mountain lion attack that left a woman’s dog badly injured in Northern California. Erin Wilson said her Belgian Malinois named Eva is a hero for grappling with the animal. https://t.co/TZrw8DjKvD
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) May 18, 2022
When the cougar began dragging her dog off the trail, Wilson ran back to her vehicle in search of a tire iron, The Associated Press reported. She was then able to flag down a passing driver, who grabbed a four-foot long piece of PVC pipe and pepper spray and rushed to assist in Wilson’s attempt to save her dog, according to the Sacramento Bee. (RELATED: Mother Reportedly Runs After Leopard, Saves Child After The Animal Snatched Him)
“We’re just yelling and hitting it. I’m just hoping it’s going to let go because it didn’t feel like it was doing much of anything, hitting it in the skull,” Houston explained to the Bee. The cougar did eventually release Eva for a moment and Houston immediately used her pepper spray on the animal until it started backing away.
Wilson immediately drove Eva to the nearest emergency vet for treatment.