While some people can merely expect a cuddle or puppy eyes in return from their pets, 24-year-old Erin Wilson can rest assured that her dog would even fight off a mountain lion to save her life. 

Earlier this week, Eva, a 2.5-year-old German Shepherd, embarked on a hiking trail in Northern California with her owner, only to return from the trip and be hailed as a “hero dog.”

Wilson narrated the mountain lion attack in an interview from the stockroom at her restaurant, where she works as a waitress.  

“I’m just walking down the slope and the dog had run ahead of me. And I turn around and there’s this cat just growling at me and it reaches up and it swipes at me,” she said, according to NPR.

“At first, I was just like, Wait, what? And I think I screamed and I shouted for Eva and she came running,” Wilson explained. 

As she screamed, Eva ran and tackled the cougar. “They tussled for a couple of seconds, but he got her pretty quickly,” Wilson said. 

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Eva is a Belgian Malinois, a highly agile and intelligent breed that is often used as police dogs. 

The 55-pound dog suffered a swollen left eye and several skull and jaw injuries as she tackled the feline. To save her dog, Wilson began pelting stones at the wild animal.

“My fight mode kicked in and I started picking up rocks and I was bashing in its skull as hard as I could,” said Wilson adding that she “didn’t even feel it at the time. I knew to choke it, go for its eyes, hurt it.”

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The 24-year-old then took her pet, who was convulsing during the hour-long drive, to the veterinarian. Eva then spent a week recuperating at a clinic. While she did not require a surgical procedure, she could be on the verge of losing vision in her injured eye. 

“I’m kind of blaming myself a bit about all this. Because of her, I’m unharmed and because of me, she has two fractures in her skull and she might be blind,” Wilson said.

“I knew Eva was capable of being fierce and protective. I just didn’t ever think that she would have to answer the call like that. Just really hug your dogs, people. Hug your pets, hug your family,” she concluded.