BIG BAR, Calif. — A woman who was attacked by a mountain lion in Northern California says her dog jumped to her defense and was badly wounded in protecting her.
“I don’t think I will ever be able to live up to how amazing and loyal she is to me,” Erin Wilson told the Sacramento Bee on Tuesday.
Wilson, 24, lives in rural Trinity County, about four hours northwest of Sacramento. On Monday, she drove to the Trinity River near unincorporated Big Bar to take an afternoon stroll with Eva, her 2 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois.
California woman says dog defended her from mountain lion – ABC News (go.com)
Lesson one: If you look like cat food, you will be dinner. Unfortunately, we never know what predators of the four-legged species feel like having for supper. BE READY! BE ARMED! Yes, it California and she probably can’t get a gun, but use other weapons. Even a frigging walking stick is better than good wishes.
Lesson two: Belgian Malinois are awesome. We had two back in Venezuela. One was 100% police stock and the other was 50% Belgian Malinois and 50% Killdozer because he was HUGE for the breed. Mean assholes both of them when it came to strangers and invaders, but total puppies when it came to loved ones. Belgian Killdozer weighed more than the missus or my mom, but it became a huge teddy bear when he was around them. I was more of a chewtoy/plaything at fun times. They are smart and very obedient and understand their place in the pack.
Stay frosty whenever you go into the wilds, carry something and having a good fierce companion is not a bad idea either.
My Malinois saved me from being carjacked once.
Let me add one lesson that wasn’t mentioned.
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The more people scream to “save the wolves” or panthers or (honestly) just about every species, the more bad encounters there are going to be. There’s a reason our society has so many sayings handed down about “the wolf at the door” and so on. This stuff that the greenies spread around about “wolves never harm people” is bull scat.
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The reason there are more stories about wolves than panthers is that panthers are ambush hunters and people just went missing. Wolves hunt in packs and are more likely to be seen.
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Panthers require lots of land, and I mean LOTS. As their populations spread out, encounters get more likely.
Nowadays, the Malinois is crossbred with the German Shepherd to try and repair the serious genetic issues that breed has. The resulting crossbreeds tend to make very effective K-9 units.
I hate what was done to German Shepherds in the name of “breeding”.
Grew up with a dog who was mostly shepherd, with a wolf a couple generations back. She was smart, loyal, and USUALLY was afraid of everything. But if she thought something was wrong…
My wife, while growing up, had German Shepherds (all named “Rex”), and yes, no other home security was needed for that family. Malinois are rather similar dogs, Belgian instead of German. (Tervueren is the other Belgian one, same shape, different color.)
When we had Airedale terriers I learned that some countries use those as police dogs, and years ago some people used them to hunt bear or cougar. Hm.
Will Rogers said, “If there are no dogs in Heaven, I want to go where they went”
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2022/03/28
What on God’s green earth makes you think people in California “can’t get guns”, and even carry them?
Four hours north of Sacto in the Trinity Alps is closer to being by-God West Virginia than it is to being Califrutopia.
That’s 2/3rds the way from Sacto to Oregon, up nearer where CW of dilay timewaster lives.
80% of the state is CCW-friendly.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CCW/comments/aqfyd7/the_current_california_ccw_map_by_county/
It ain’t Texas or Constitutional Carry, but it’s far from being D.C., Bahstun, or NYFC.
The entire state is not L.A. and Frisco. Those are just the mouthy leftards.