The rescue dog chose to protect his family rather than flee when his owner opened up the back door of her house and spotted a huge mountain lion staring back at her.

The 43-year-old fashion designer and civil engineer never anticipated her dog Rocky to respond the way he did. She recalls Rocky as being “lovely and extremely kind” and “not being an aggressive dog”.

“I opened my sliding door and as soon as I opened it I noticed the mountain lion practically looking at me ,” Mary told The Epoch Times . “He was ready to chase the hounds. »

Mary Padres, who also operates a dog rescue, acquired Rocky due of his lively personality. Rocky repaid the favor to his savior by fighting the mountain lion.

“His protective instinct took over his intellect ,” she stated. “It’s in his nature to attempt to save me, it was astonishing. «

“It was absolutely terrible. He assaulted the cougar. »

Shortly, the cougar and Rocky disappeared from view. Concerned for their dog’s life, Mary and her family members braved the darkness of the night to seek for him, yelling “Rocky! Rocky! » Then they heard barking. But they soon stopped.

“That’s when we felt extremely scared and realized something was wrong ,” remarked Mary.

They took out flashlights and started heading up the hill; after about half an hour of calls, they heard little footsteps racing towards them.

“We were a little scared not knowing what those swift steps were, until we noticed it was Rocky ,” Mary recalled. “He raced towards us and collapsed in our arms. «

Thankfully, the family was able to take Rocky to the doctor at daybreak. He was bleeding and his breathing was feeble. He had massive bite wounds on his head and throat, where the mountain lion had pulled him from, Mary added.

“He earned his moniker, that’s for sure ,” says Mary.

Three weeks and 30 stitches later, Rocky has made a 100% recovery, although he’s still a bit nervous when it comes to stepping out in the garden.

In the meantime, the puma is still roaming free in the neighborhood. In addition to expressing her surprise and thanks for her faithful dog’s bravery, Mary would like to make her neighbors aware of the risks posed by the cougar and urge them to be cautious of their children and dogs.