A ʟᴀʙʀᴀᴅᴏʀ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ in Cedar Hills, Utah, ꜰᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏꜰꜰ a mountain lion on July 19 in order to protect its family. Despite sᴜꜰꜰᴇʀɪɴɢ ʜᴏʀʀɪꜰɪᴄ ɪɴᴊᴜʀɪᴇs, the dog lived to see another day.

Ella, a 7-year-old yellow Lab, noticed the mountain lion while Crystal Michaelis and her children were outside playing in the backyard. Michaelis didn’t see the mountain lion, but she noticed that Ella was acting odd and looking back and forth from the kids to where the mountain lion was hiding. Michaelis said: “She kept glancing at the kids and then looking back so quickly. My kid thought it was quite alarming even though she was just being careful.”

Eventually, Michaelis took her kids inside. When they came back to the patio door they found Ella with sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴜᴛs on her head, face, legs, tongue, and neck. Michaelis said: :We opened the back door and found Ella just ʙʟᴏᴏᴅɪᴇᴅ. There was ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ all over the door and all over the patio.” Although the family was not present for the ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ, mountain lion tracks leading to the site were discovered by Utah Division of ᴡɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ Resources officers. The mountain lion may have become sidetracked by some nearby goats in a neighbor’s yard and strayed too close to the Michaelis’ house, according to ᴡɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ officials.

After defending her family from a mountain lion in Cedar Hills, Ella, a 7-year-old lab, sᴜsᴛᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ɪɴᴊᴜʀɪᴇs on her head, neck, legs, and tongue. She also has more than 30 ʙɪᴛᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴋs on her body. In total, Ella was ʙɪᴛ more than 30 times, always starting at the shoulders. Michaelis said: “Which means she never gave up and stayed in that protective stance and defended it. Ella is anticipated to make a full ʀᴇᴄᴏᴠᴇʀʏ despite her ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs.”

Although the mountain lion has not been spotted again, the Utah DWR has issued a ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ to locals to keep vigilant and safe. Deer are cougars’ primary food supply, so they frequently follow where deer go, according to DWR public information officer Faith Jolley said: “They’ve also spotted deer traveling through this region.”