Written by Matt

So, here’s your heartwarming story of the day: a golden retriever named Angel saved an 11-year-old boy from a mountain lion in Canada. Austin Forman was gathering firewood in his back yard this weekend when the cougar attacked.

“She intercepted the cougar,” [Sherri] Forman said. “Austin came into the house very upset, and I had to get him to
calm down so I could understand what he was saying. Finally he said ‘there’s a cougar eating Angel.’”

Angel and the cougar fought under the
family’s deck, while Austin’s mother called 911 for help. A constable was in the area and able to make it to their home and kill the cougar quickly. Forman said when her nephew pulled the cougar’s body off Angel, who at first appeared fatally injured, the dog sucked in a “big breath of air and then got up.” Ever the protector, Angel “walked to
Austin, sniffed him to make sure he was alright, then sat down.” Despite receiving a few deep bites and scratches Angel’s prognosis is good. [CNN]

I admit, my lip might have quivered a little bit when I found out Angel was gonna be okay. I also appreciate that for once “cougar” actually means “cougar” and not “aging single woman dating younger men.” Because you don’t want them going after 11-year-olds.

http://warmingglow.uproxx.com/2010/01/dog-saves-boy-from-cougar-attack

(File photo)  When a cougar tried to pounce on a young boy, Angel the golden retriever jumped directly into the big cat’s path and bore the brunt of the attack.

APRIL 29, 2010

Laura T. Coffey, MSNBC

When a hungry cougar came calling, an 11-year-old boy named Austin Forman had Angel on his side.

It happened on a dark Sunday evening in British Columbia, Canada, when Austin went outside to collect wood for his family’s wood-burning furnace. He noticed that Angel, his happy-go-lucky golden retriever, was acting much more cautious and guarded than usual. Within moments, a cougar tried to pounce on Austin from less than 10 feet away. Angel jumped directly into the big cat’s path and bore the brunt of the attack instead.

“She was my best friend, but now she’s even greater to me. She’s more than a best friend now,” Austin said after the attack, which almost certainly would have killed Angel if a local police constable hadn’t managed to shoot the cougar.

The 18-month-old dog had surgery to repair extensive injuries to her head. “I was just lucky my dog was there, because it happened so fast I wouldn’t have known what hit me,” Austin said. “I bought her a big, nice juicy steak.”

http://www.happynews.com/news/4292010/dog-saves-11-year-old-boy-cougar-attack.htm

On Saturday, a dog named Angel saved the life of her 11-year-old owner, defending him in a cougar attack.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on January 04 2010

Austin Forman’s Golden Retriever, Angel, lived up to her name on Saturday.

While the eleven-year-old boy was out hauling firewood back to his family’s home in Boston Bar, British Columbia, he and his pet dog came face-to-face with a wild cougar. The giant cat began lunging towards Austin when the Golden Retriever intercepted, throwing herself in front of the cougar’s claws.

“I was about five feet away from the basement door and she had run toward me and that’s when the cougar had attacked her and brought her under the stairs,” Austin told The Vancouver Province. “It was coming after me and Angel intercepted. The cougar grabbed Angel.”

Terrified for himself and his dog, Austin ran inside screaming for help. Austin’s mother, Sherri Forman, immediately called 911, and within just a few minutes, an officer had arrived to break up the vicious fight between the dog and the cougar.

“I could see the cougar had the dog in its mouth, around the dog’s neck. It was chewing on its neck,” said Constable Chad Gravelle. Gravelle had a clear shot at the cougar, and he took it. The two animals collapsed in a ball on the ground, lifeless.

Everyone on the scene suspected that Angel was already dead. She’d been trapped in the cougar’s jaws, and hadn’t moved in several minutes. But as a neighbor pulled the two animals apart, the dog released a loud breath.

Angel didn’t come away from her encounter unscathed—she has several puncture wounds, a rip in her eyelid, and damage to her sinus cavities. Nonetheless, she’s expected to make a full recovery.

“It could have turned out a lot different if it wasn’t for Angel,” said Sherri. “She’s our guardian angel.”

http://gimundo.com/news/article/golden-retriever-saves-boy-in-cougar-attack/

Last Updated:  Wednesday, January  6, 2010 | 10:14 AM PT CBC News

Const. Chad Gravelle says he has formed a bond with Austin Forman, 11, and his dog, Angel.(RCMP

The RCMP officer who shot a cougar in Boston Bar, B.C., to save the life of a cherished family dog says he will name his son after the dog’s young owner.

Austin Forman, 11, escaped a cougar in the backyard of his rural B.C. home, about 140 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, when his golden retriever, Angel, intercepted the attack.

Const. Chad Gravelle arrived on the scene and killed the cougar as it chewed on Angel’s neck, saving the dog.

Gravelle said the incident has helped him forge a lasting bond with the Forman family and their pet, and helped him and his wife pick a name for their child.

“Every time she says a boy’s name, being in the line of work I’m in, I always think of someone I know with that name that isn’t a good person,” he said.

“We’ve been fighting and arguing for months now on a boy’s name, and we’ve been watching the news the last couple of days and she looked at me and said, ‘What do you think of Austin?’ and I said, ‘I only know of one Austin, and he’s a pretty good kid.’ So it’s Austin.

 Angel is expected to make a full recovery.(RCMP handout)

Gravelle has also received a Detachment Commander’s Commendation for his quick response and accurate shooting that dispatched the cougar but did not harm Angel, though the two animals were tangled together.

Angel suffered puncture wounds to her head and hind leg, a small indentation to her skull, and several scrapes and bruises, but has had surgery and is making a full recovery.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/01/06/bc-boston-bar-cougar-attack-dog-rcmp-officer.html

By Salim Jiwa

BOSTON BAR, B.C. – (Update) Austin Foreman, 11, is lucky to be alive today and he can thank his white retriever for saving his life.

The dog stepped in as a cougar began charging towards the young Boston Bar boy. The boy was gathering firewood when the cougar began his advance.

“The dog put himself in front of the advancing cougar and the boy,” said RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen in an interview. “The dog engaged the cougar in a fairly aggressive fight and the cougar had grabbed the dog by the time our officer arrived.”

“When our officer arrived he could see the stress the dog was under and the child had retreated some distance back towards the house – he shot the animal twice and that had no effect, he got within five feet of that animal and fired two more times killing it.”

Cougar shot dead by RCMP officer.

“If anyone was going to lose the fight at that point it wasn’t going to be the dog, or the child or the officer – it had to be the cougar and the officer took a great chance by getting within five feet of the cougar,” he added. “There will be a commendation coming down the line but the community there will be recognizing the dog to a degree too.”

The dog, Angel, an 18-month old white retriever, was bleeding from the neck area but will be fine, said Thiessen.

The attack occurred at around 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Const. Chad Gravelle, of Boston Bar was nearby and got to the home in a minute.

When he arrived, he saw the cougar had grabbed the dog by the neck.

“He located the cougar under the back porch hearing the dog cry out as the cat chewed on his neck. From a distance our officer fired two rounds into the cougar’s rear end which was the only part of the cat that was visible,” Thiessen said on Sunday.

“The cougar continued it’s attack so the Constable closed to within 5 feet, took careful aim and shot the animal twice more killing it instantly,” he said.

“The retriever survived the attack with minor injuries and thankfully the boy was unhurt,” he said.

http://www.vancouverite.com/2010/01/03/dog-saves-11-year-old-b-c-boy-from-charging-cougar/

Jan 3, 2010 by ■ Derek Leschasin

A golden retriever in the small community of Boston Bar, BC,  made headlines today when he prevented a cougar from attacking his 11-year-old  owner, Austin Forman.

Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/284971#ixzz1WklO40DE