Dog Doesn't Save Owner From Mountain Lion
06-01-10
A HIKER has been killed by a mountain lion after his golden retriever chose to run away instead of defending him.
'It's time we all moved on with our lives'
As the ferocious beast sank its teeth into the former teacher's chest, nine-year-old former guide dog Nathan Muir quickly squirmed its way out of its leash before running as fast as it could in the opposite direction.
The dog then used its incredible sense of smell to locate the nearest food source, a remote village where residents were making a big pot of rabbit stew, with plenty to spare.
Nathan Muir said: "My first thought was that I should do something to save the man who had nurtured and cared for me since I was a tiny, defenceless bundle. But my second thought was, 'let's be realistic about this'.
"As I reached the top of the pass I looked round to see the moutain lion yanking at something that I think might have been Tom's liver, or perhaps his spleen.
"I think Tom was still alive at that point. He was making this sort of gurgling sound, like a river. A river that's in a tremendous amount of pain."
Nathan Muir added: "In retrospect I feel bad about it all, maybe I could have done something, even just barking a lot which could have startled the cat enough to scare it off.
"But who knows? And anyway, you can't dwell on these things, it'll screw you up.
"Stew?"
