'Tough little cookie': Dog survives cougar attack on Vancouver Island
A 14-pound dog is down an eye but well on the road to recovery after his owner and her friend saved his life in a cougar attack on Vancouver Island.
Small, but tough as nails, little Oakey was dropped from the big cat’s jaws thanks to a noisy charge by Jessica Shaw and her friend during a routine walk near Port Hardy, B.C., on Feb. 24.
Shaw and the friend were out on their usual after-work walk on a trail when disaster struck. Oakey was off-leash and maybe four to six metres ahead of them when “we heard barking and then my dog shrieking and screaming,” she said.
Shaw and her friend started running as fast as they could, screaming at the top of their lungs.
“From a distance I could see a big cougar trying to get up a tree with my dog,” Shaw said.
The cougar attempted to jump up the tree twice unsuccessfully.
“On the third jump he dropped my dog and ran to the top of the tree just as I got to the bottom of the tree where my dog was crumpled on the ground covered in blood,” Shaw said.
From there, Shaw scooped Oakey off the ground and she and her friend took off running.
“We were still about 20 to 25 minutes away from the car and as I carried my pup my friend was calling the vet,” she said.
“Unfortunately the local vet hospital was closed by then and we were directed to Nanaimo Emergency Veterinary Hospital," she added. "I begged the dispatch to please see if they could find something closer as he was so small and had sustained serious injuries.”
The dispatcher advised her she could try to reach an on-call vet in Comox, a three-hour drive from Port Hardy, and then provided the vet's pager number.
“Luckily, the vet in Comox returned my page and agreed to meet us in Comox where we arrived just after 9 p.m.,” Shaw said.
Oakey before the cougar attack. (GoFundMe)
By midnight, it was determined Oakey had sustained a bite through his left eye and several puncture wounds to his face and neck. He also had several skull fractures that required further assessment at the Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital.
Over the course of the last two weeks following the attack, Oakey has had surgery to remove his left eye and had craniotomy surgery to remove three bone fragments from his brain.
“Despite the serious surgeries and injuries, Oakey has been one tough little cookie,” Shaw said. “He never whined or whimpered once. He is still healing but his recovery is going very well and he will adjust to life with one eye in no time. I am so amazed and thrilled that my little 14-pound dog survived such a serious attack.”
Shaw said the conservation office was called and they advised her that although officers were taking the matter very seriously and have posted signs to warn trail users about wildlife activity in the area, “they did not go out to catch the cougar as they have no way of determining if they’ve got the right cat.”
Shaw said she has hiked the trails in town every day with her dog and although they have come across bears before, “I never thought we’d come across a cougar or that it would attack."
"I have the utmost respect for the outdoors and its natural inhabitants and I will always have Oakey on leash in the future,” she said.
A friend has set up a GoFundMe page as Oakey’s vet bills came in at over $13,000.
“I am so appreciative of the all the kind words and sentiments the local people of Port Hardy have sent,” added Shaw.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.