Erin Wilson and her dog Eva were attacked by a mountain lion in Northern California and Eva jumped to her defence which resulted in severe wounds while protecting her.
“I don’t think I will ever be able to live up to how amazing and loyal she is to me,” Erin said.
Erin lives in rural Trinity County, about four hours northwest of Sacramento. On Monday, she drove to the Trinity River to take an afternoon stroll with Eva, her 30-month-old Belgian Malinois.
Erin said she was on a path with Eva when a mountain lion lunged and swiped at her, scratching Wilson’s left shoulder through her jacket.
“I yelled, ‘Eva’ and she came running,” Eva stated. “And she hit that cat really hard.”
The 25-kilogram dog put up a fight against the mountain lion but was quickly overpowered. “They fought for a couple of seconds, and then I heard her start crying,” says Erin.
The lion bit the dog’s head and would not let go even if Erin attacked the wild animal with rocks, sticks, and fists. Erin even chokes and gouges the eyes of the lion.
The mountain lion fights back against Erin by kicking her off and scratching her with its back paw. Erin ran back to her pick-up truck, grabbed a tire iron, and flagged down a passing car.
The driver, Sharon Houston, grabbed a long length of PVC pipe and pepper spray. Together, Sharon and Erin began beating the lion, which had dragged the dog off the trail.
Sharon then used her pepper spray on the lion, which caused it to flee. It walks through the grass and dappled light.
Erin was treated for non-life-threatening scratches, scrapes, and bruises. After Eva’s encounter with the mountain lion, Erin drove for an hour to take her to a vet clinic.
Midway through the trip, Eva had seizures that lasted for “several minutes at a time”. After the examination, the vet found Eva had two skull fractures, a punctured sinus cavity and severe damage to her left eye,
Erin created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Eva’s hospitalization. “The vet is optimistic. She is two-and-a-half years old and is otherwise in top shape,” said Erin.
“My dog is my hero, and I owe her my life,” she added.
The online fundraising collected $US7,500 ($10,745), and the additional funds will go to Eva’s aftercare, pampering, and charities.
Wildlife officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have collected samples from the wounds for DNA analysis, which will be used by authorities to try to trap the mountain lion.
