A wonderful, inspiring story but all in a days work for the most perfect of beings, caninis homelis, the family dog. Dogs accept us into their pack, they bless and shower us with unconditional love, they'll immediately lay down their lives in defence of their pack mates. Angel is a hero to all, a role model for selflessness, a great being.On many occasions through the decades i've seen our dogs - Ali, Happy and Pancho - go after bears many times their size, to charge them teeth bared and growling, fearless, proud, among our family's finest. The bears always have reteated up a tree or run through the fences to escape, the bears know the dog's purity of heart. The bears in our southwest BC backyard are only after a free lunch, some fruit or berries, maybe an occasaional older/slower chicken, bears are dangerous but none have the heart of a family dog.
We have cougars in the mountain rainforest behind us just like everywhere else in BC. Cougars aren't like bears, they don't stumble into the yard in search of berries, cougars stalk their prey. Cougars circle to be upwind, they lie in wait, they spring with lightening speed at the last moment. Angel knew her foe, her sense of smell alerted her, she acted with selfless purpose in defense of her little boy.
Angel, my dogs past and present, the dogs we meet everyday with their families on our forest hikes, these are the descendents of the wolves and coyotes that adopted our ancestors millenia ago. They taught our ancestors the art of cooperative hunting, communal sharing, unconditional love. Without canine partners our neolithic ancestors might not have gotten beyond their caves. Without canine pack mate Angel by his side Austin would be dead. Angel, a true Hero!
Boy calls dog who fought off cougar his 'guardian'
"A boy from Boston Bar, B.C., whose golden retriever saved him from a charging cougar, says he wouldn't be alive if his dog hadn't stepped in. Austin Forman, 11, was gathering firewood in his backyard at about 5 p.m. Saturday when his dog, Angel, started acting strangely. Angel started following him to and from the woodshed, Austin said, almost as though she was checking to make sure he was OK. Suddenly, Angel ran toward Austin and jumped over a lawn mower — right into the path of a charging cougar." - "I feel very, very lucky", said Austin, "If it wasn't for my dog, I don't think I would be here." - CBC news
