by According to KSLTV News, on July 19, a Labrador dog in Cedar Hills, Utah, fought off a mountain lion to defend its family. Despite horrible injuries, the dog survived to see another day.
Ella, a 7-year-old yellow Lab, was playing in the backyard with Crystal Michaelis and her children when she saw the mountain lion. Michaelis didn’t see the mountain lion, but she did see Ella behaving strangely and dividing her focus between the kids and the mountain lion’s hiding spot.
“She kept glancing at the kids and then looking back so quickly,” Michaelis recalled. Even though she was merely being cautious, my child found it rather frightening.
Michaelis eventually took her kids inside. When they got to the patio door, Ella’s head, face, legs, tongue, and neck were all seriously cut. When we opened the back door, Ella was covered in blood. “There was blood all over the entrance and the patio,” Michaelis claimed.
Although the family was not there during the struggle, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials uncovered mountain lion footprints going to the spot. According to wildlife authorities, the mountain lion may have been distracted by some nearby goats in a neighbor’s yard and went too close to the Michaelis’ home.
Ella, a 7-year-old lab, suffered damage to her head, neck, legs, and tongue after protecting her family from a mountain lion in Cedar Hills. She also has around 30 bite marks all over her body. Tonight at 6:30 p.m., @KSL5TV will run this story. pic.twitter.com/gTaA9I3Djk @KSLtv #ksltv AlexCabrero Cabrero, Alex July 20, 2022
Although the mountain lion has not been seen since, the Utah DWR has warned residents to be watchful and safe. Cougars’ major food source is deer, hence they typically follow deer, according to DWR public information officer Faith Jolley. “They’ve also seen deer passing through this area,” she continued.
Ella was bitten more than 30 times in all, always beginning at the shoulders. “Which means she never gave up and stayed in that protective stance and defended it,” Michaelis told reporters. Despite her injuries, Ella is expected to recover completely.
To discover more about the incident, watch the video below:
