Women Fight Off Mountain Lion to Save Dog in Trinity County
According to Sharon Houston who was one of the women, “About 2:45 p.m., I was driving on 299 from the Coast to Weaverville when I saw a woman trying to wave someone down. She was frantic about it.”
Houston said that young, slender woman yelled while jumping up and down at a day use area beside the road. “She was really young and really small,” described Houston. “My height about 5’5″ but really thin–maybe 100 pounds soaking wet.”As the woman was “pretty scraped up” and obviously upset, Houston didn’t feel she could keep driving especially as there wasn’t a lot of traffic on the road. One other car had gone past that she saw, and she didn’t know how long before anyone else would come by. In addition, there wasn’t any cell service.
When Houston pulled over, she could see the woman was holding an extendable baton so she cautiously rolled down her window. The woman, angry and almost crying rushed over. “She was mad and terrified at the same time,” Houston said. The woman told Houston that “a mountain lion had just attacked her dog and she wanted to know if I had a weapon–which I didn’t other than my little pepper spray.”
Houston had been a day camp counselor when young so she had learned to be “overprepared.” She said she “grabbed a stick and some pepper spray” and followed the woman over the edge down a trail towards the river.
“Right at the edge of the trees
, I saw the mountain lion had the dog by the throat,” Houston explained. The tiny other woman ran towards the attacking lion and her dog. “She started hitting it with her baton and screaming,” Houston told us. “She was very determined to stop this mountain lion from attacking her dog so I couldn’t leave her.”
Besides, Houston said wryly, “Two against one, right?”
In addition, the mountain lion looked “emaciated,” she told us, and its eyes seemed “clouded like it might be partially blind.”
Houston stepped forward…”I thought, ‘here we go,'” she said. “So I started hitting it on the head, trying to get it to let go…I was just trying to get that thing away.”
She paused her story and said in amazement, “I think I’m a little crazy for doing that.”
In response to the two women’s attack, the lion let go of the dog. “At that point the dog just vanished from my view,” she said.
“[The mountain lion] swiped at us and bared its teeth,” Houston told us. “I opened up my pepper spray and just hosed its face. It was the longest 5 to 10 seconds…I begged, ‘Please work, please work, please work.”
Fortunately, no wind was blowing so Houston said the spray stayed away from the women.
After the lion swiped at them, it retreated a little and the dog jumped up and raced off up the hill. “I saw blood but not blood dripping,” Houston said. “The dog wasn’t limping or dragging itself.”
The two women began backing up the hill. “In the fight, she lost her glasses,” Houston told us. “[The mountain lion] turns away and goes up the river a ways and [the other woman] went up the hill.” Houston said she kept backing for a bit. “I had the stick crossways ready to use it. I didn’t close my pepper spray in case I needed to use it.”
When they got back to the parking area, another car had stopped. “A gentleman was there,” she explained. “He heard us yelling.” But, none of them had cell service so they couldn’t call for help or report the attack at that time.
The group briefly checked in with each other but didn’t even exchange names. “The woman had been bit,” Houston said. “It was on her hand–just one little cut…[The woman] gave me a hug. I gave her a first aid kit” for her dog. Then the three set out eastward in their separate vehicles.
“I stopped at the Big Bar ranger station to report it to him,” Houston said.
Eventually, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer, Jason Smith, contacted Houston thinking her report to the ranger had been a separate attack. But, it wasn’t. The woman had reported the attack on her dog to CDFW. We’ve reached out to CDFW and have not heard from them yet. However, we spoke to Ruth Esperance of the US Forest Service and she knew the attack had been reported yesterday.
Sharon Houston told us, “I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve never had anything like that happen…I don’t think I’m going to let my cat outside the house for a good year.”
She added, “I’m getting a bigger thing of bear mace…The one I had was 14 ounces and it felt extremely tiny.”
UPDATE 3 p.m.: Ryan Sabalow of the Sacramento Bee spoke to CDFW about the attack. He said that he spoke to Capt. Patrick Foy of the Department of Fish and Wildlife who told him that the lion jumped on the woman from behind, the dog, which had been ranging ahead, returned to fight the cat.
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I did not know this until I helped a woman on the coast with her child locked in the car. No one had cell service but we tried 911 anyway and we got thru. I think 911 works even with no cell service. Did for me.
Not true. You need cell service to call 911. However, if you can’t get a call to go through, try texting 911, or a friend. A text message can often go through when the signal is too low for a voice call.
I have never actually tried it but my understanding is as mentioned above a cell signal is needed to call 911 but I think the misunderstanding is that you can use a phone that doesn’t have active service. So you could keep an old phone that isn’t on a cell plan and can’t be used to make normal phone calls but emergency services will work.
If you enter emergency mode on a phone, with limit cell service. It finds any available tower. Not just the ones used by your carrier of choice. This is likely where the confusion lies. You can also use this on most cellphones with expired sim’s / no active contracts.
That whole story sounds like something out of True Adventures. Mountain lion, endangered dog, heroic women.. Had to laugh at the dog taking off though. He had had enough..
I will gladly chip in to replace that woman’s glasses, tell me where to send the money. I would do the same for my dogs.
Kind of you
I would never give my dogs money to buy replacement glasses. They’d just blow it all on kibble!
Heh heh!
How is the dog? It ran up the hill but did the gal get her dog?
Amazing what they did, but I’d probably do the same
I love my animals dearly but I’ve been around long enough to know better than insert myself into the middle of a dogfight. Fur babies may be family but they are replaceable, you, on the other hand are not!
This lion only wanted the dog. NEVER put yourself between a lion (of any type) & it’s intended meal. These well meaning ladies were lucky & quite easily could have ended up seriously injured & unable to contact an ambulance.
For me it wouldn’t even be an option. Our pets are our family. I won’t even hesitate or consider getting seriously injured or killed to save a family member.
Screw that. My dog would die for me why would I be any less loyal to him. This is a prime example of why average joe citizen should be allowed to carry firearms if they wish to.
It sounds like an old lion about to die by the description. A young healthy one would kill a young pup in no time flat. Glad no one was hurt.
So average Joe Citizen without training or common sense can go around spraying bullets? NO!
Why not average joe citizen can without thought go around spraying words written as well as spoken , and as the old saying goes the pen is mightier than the sword. Perhaps there would be more respect for each others options and freedoms if it was widely known and understood that the person who is being pushed or forced around could very well be armed and might lose it . For example protesters might be more civil in their protests if they knew that the people they were protesting were or very well could be armed and might just lose it
Dogs are a captive audience.
Some dogs are but some choose. The best choose.
I agree with your comment 100%! It does sound like the lion was pretty sick being kind of skinny and with clouded eyes. It may even have rabies. It could have severely injured or killed one of the gals. It is unfortunate that we cannot carry a firearm for protection. The best way I found is to take a CCW class and apply for your handgun permit. Be sure to have a valid reason as to why you need the firearm, or you will likely be turned down. It is legal to carry a long gun (rifle, shotgun) in a locked case with the ammo stored in a different location in the vehicle. They can’t be within reach of the driver. With practice you can have a loaded gun pretty quickly.
I imagine the woman who was bitten will be receiving rabies vaccine shots, no question. And while they are not the physical trial they once were (a circle of shots in the abdomen, around the navel, ouch!) they are a definite pain – in the wallet. Back in 1993 I was bit by a feral cat and took the series – cost me the price of a round trip to Bali back then. God only knows what they cost now – though who knows, maybe they are cheaper. Brave women!
Rabies shots at Shasta Regional E.R about 2 yrs. ago were appr. $250. ea. a series of 6 are given in in your arm. Husband was bit by possum while letting it out of trap.
It’s been a few days since the attack and there was never any mention of rabies
I know right? I can’t imagine turning my back on a beloved pet or animal because I’ve seen time and time again where a pet sacrificed their life for a human …
Gosh, wet blanket much.
Dogs are no more “replaceable” than children.
Since we are putting out our opinions on the value of the lives around us……….mine is that society and it’s component people who elevate dogs and cats to the same importance of life as children and adult humans are engaging in the decadence of a degenerating society and this fixation on captive animals is what could be argued to be as a mental illness (I would rather refer to it as degeneracy). I like animals, and I like dogs. But I don’t want to project emotions onto an animal and make it be my sidekick in a one-way relationship of my control.
That has a bit of the merchant about it. That you won’t waste your love on what you think has a lesser value. However love is not a measure of what is loved but a measure of the capability of the lover. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
I have known much love in my life (I am 64) but have known no greater love than what I shared with my dog. For those who have never known this attachment there are no words, except, dogs are the grace of God on four legs. When he died he took a part of me with him. I won’t be whole until that day when we are reunited at the Rainbow Bridge.
I probably don’t necessarily disagree with what you are saying, if I am understanding what you are saying right.
There are over 9.5 billion humans, and we are marching towards over 11 billion. An adults humans life maybe more or less valuable than that of a dog, depending on their behavior.
It could be argued that people caring for their dogs like family members is a mental illness, but I don’t believe it could be argued successfully. Same for the argument that it is some form of degeneracy.
It is very common for people to anthropomorphize their pets and project emotions onto them that just aren’t there, I do agree on that point. That in no way means that a relationship with it does is one way, I believe even cats can potentially love their owners.
My cat loves annoying me
I agree with you putting animals and people on the same level is wrong. Dogs are much better and more loyal than any person I met. People are much lower on the chain than dogs. Given the choice I would save the dog over people.
While I whole heatedly agree, there are currently about ten people I would save before my Dog. And if my Dog went out, she would do so doing what she had been waiting her whole life to do, protecting me. I, on the other hand, even though I saved my wife, daughter, granddaughter, Mom, would be a wreck for a very very very very very very very (7 times in Dog verys) long time.
May Dog bless everyone involved in this story.
Well said
It was a good dog though. I probably would have tried to save it too if it were my dog and it did that for me. I don’t think I would risk my life for a stranger’s dog though.
I find it almost impossible to kill dogs and cats even when it is the right thing to do , however grown humans pose no problems for me when it is required and they are always someones child. See to me dogs and cats are merely doing what their instincts tell them to do, humans have thought and can decide what they will do
I believe you. Hitler was supposed to have been vegetarian, loved dogs and animals and didn’t like to see them treated ‘inhumanely.’
As a mother of human children I can tell you without a doubt losing a child is nothing like loosing a dog and comparing the two disgusts me. Children are undervalued enough, now people are comparing them to dogs? You’ve gone to far.
You definitely don’t have kids
Two dogs are better than one. One in front, one behind when walking the edge or on a trail.
I go with ” A big dog is better than a small dog”
Mountain lion size, preferably
The article said the lion attacked the woman from behind and the dog came back to help her.
The mountain lion jumped the girl. The dog came back to save her. I’d go pretty far to save that dog myself.
Emaciated and possibly clouded eyes. We have had mountain lion attack our small livestock (sheep, goats) on several occasions over the years. In each case the lion was injured or otherwise disabled and desperate.
Sad for the cat, the dog, but luckily not for the women.
Then it seems to me like these mountain lions are very aware of people and the domain of humans. This seems to indicate that they could very often attack livestock but are aware that those animals are not like other animals for it to catch. I hate to bring it up, but in reading some history, it seems like native americans were often finally rounded up and taken to reservations (or worse) when they were pushed into marginal lands and left without hunting grounds, shelter, and good foraging areas. The result would be that the native americans would start stealing or raiding the white settlers gardens at night because they didn’t have enough to eat. So I wonder if this mountain lion has lived out it’s years or hard times have caused health problems and less food. Still, the awareness of the animals out there seems very interesting. Animals know things that people must be taught, like how to swim.
It was probably a kitten.
An adult lion would have killed that dog in a second then had the women for dessert.
Not if as mentioned by several commenters if it was Old & sick!!!
No man needed for this cat-fight!
Hell yeah Ladies!
I salute your fierce love and determination to protect your dog.
You did the right thing… fighting with wild carnivores is as ancient and primal as it gets for human beings.
You kicked a Lion’s ass!
BAD ASS BITCHES! MUCH RESPECT!!!👍👍👍
I don’t see how the story calls for sexism.
People: carry a weapon. The most effective one you’re comfortable and responsible with. It’s not just people you need to be prepared to deal with.
Good on these ladies for having a baton and pepper spray… but check the laws about batons in CA… they’re verboten for most people.
dumb…….many people have died believing their dog is worth a human life
Many a dog has died believing that their human is worth saving.
Updates on the dog?
Sharon, you’re a courageous woman and a real hero. Stick with the pepper spray. You’re not supposed to use bear spray on people.
Capsicum count is the same in bear and human spray. Some human spray is higher than for bear. There is no scientific reason other than volume to not spray a human.
Google it. Bear spray is technically a pesticide under the law and can’t be used on people.
If I need to use it the last thing I’m going to care about is the law
That area burned pretty hot in the fires last few years. Probably not much food for an old half blind lion..
Is it possible that the mountain lion’s eyes were cloudy from infrared damage to it’s eyes caused from being trapped in an area with wildfire, causing damage resulting in cloudiness (cataracts)?
Stories like this one are the reason why tweakers carry huge knives on their hip LMAO
[…] lived here my whole life. I’ve never had anything like that happen,” witness Sharon Houston told Redheaded Blackbelt, a local news blog. “I don’t think I’m going to let my cat outside the house for a good […]
https://gofund.me/6e4ffefb
The girl who was attacked has set up a gofund me for her dog.
We have a few mountain lions in rancho too many in one area. They need thinning out.
They probably say the same about residents of rancho.
I gotta agree on that
[…] passer-by who helped drive off the lion told the North Coast news blog Redheaded Blackbelt that the animal was emaciated and had cloudy […]
[…] hurt it.” Then she dashed up the riverbank to her truck, grabbed a crowbar, and flagged down a passing motorist, Sharon Houston, for help. When Wilson got back, the cougar had dragged Eva several yards into the […]