'Angel' Dog Saves Boy From Cougar Attack
Updated: Wednesday, 06 Jan 2010, 3:11 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 06 Jan 2010, 3:10 PM EST
From MyFox National Reports
(MYFOX NATIONAL) - A family in Canada is recovering from a terrifying ordeal from the weekend.
Their young son was targeted by a cougar in their backyard, but miraculously he was saved by
his golden retriever, Angel.
The incident was the second such cougar attack in Boston Bar, a town about 87 miles northeast
of Vancouver, in less than a week.
"When I first saw the cougar, I thought, 'I'm dead.' I was pretty scared," explained 11-year-old
Austin Forman who was in the backyard gathering firewood.
Austin was able to run into the house while Angel tangled with the cougar. The animals fought
outside the house.
A police officer was nearby and quickly responded to the scene. He fired two shots at the animals
and killed the cougar.
"It was kind of looking at me growling, and I could see that it was chewing down a bit more on
the dog," said Constable Chad Gravell of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "So at that point,
I fired one more round and hit the cougar again and it seemed to put it down."
Travis Conkin, a relative of the family described what he saw when he arrived in the backyard.
"I walked up to the animals which were totally entwined together as one thing. There was no
sound, no movement. pulled the cougar off of the dog and out of nowhere this miraculous
gasp, and the dog springs up and starts breathing again."
Austin was shaken by the incident, but was very happy that Angel survived the attack. "She
knew she had protected me so she came up the stairs. Even though she was hurting, she came
up and I pet her and she was wagging her tail and I was happy."
"It's a miracle that, just the whole thing was a miracle," said Austin's mother, Sheri Forman.
"Our son was saved by an Angel because I think that's exactly what she is," added dad Jabal Conkin.
"I could see the joy that came to his face once he saw the animal," said Travis Conkin. "They had
already written this animal off in their minds. It was just like, oh my goodness, this sense of relief
on their faces was immaculate."
"That is my best friend now," said Austin. "She's been my best friend since I got her, but now she's
even more special."
