lack lab dies protecting owner from Cougar

Arthritic nine-year-old black Labrador went after predator and died

Cheryl Chan
The Province
Sunday, February 03, 2008

PRINCE GEORGE - A crippled family pet is being hailed as a hero by a Prince George man who says the brave animal sacrificed her life to save his.

Blackie, an arthritic nine-year-old black Labrador, was mauled to death by a cougar last Thursday.

"That dog is my hero," said Wayne Krasnesky, 49. "In my eyes, being there, I am a complete believer that the dog gave herself up for me."

Krasnesky moved to Prince George from Penticton six weeks ago and was staying with his in-laws on a four-hectare property in the outskirts of the city.

Just before 9 a.m., Krasnesky headed outside to feed the geese.

He was accompanied by Blackie and an eight-month-old Pomeranian, Tobie.

At the bottom of a snow-covered trail, about 180 meters away from the house, he came face to face with a medium-sized cougar, its tail almost as long as its body.

"I was petrified," said Krasnesky. "I've never seen a cougar growling at me 10 feet away."

Blackie, however, acted quickly, throwing herself between Krasnesky and the big cat.

"She can barely walk and she mustered up some kind of courage from somewhere, knowing if she was going to jump in, it's not a fight she's going to win," recalled Krasnesky.

The cougar went for Blackie's throat.

Krasnesky threw an ice cream pail full of feed at the cougar, grabbed Tobie, and ran back up the hill "as fast as my 50-year-old legs can carry me."

He heard Blackie whimpering and howling -- "horrible" pained sounds which have been keeping him up at night.

"She was screaming for help," said Krasnesky. "She helped me and I couldn't do anything."

With every step, he waited for the cat to pounce on his back, but the deadly attack never came: "It's almost like the dog hung on long enough, because the crying stopped as soon as I got into the house," he said.

By the time conservation officers arrived, all that was left of Blackie's head was the skull. Her body was intact.

The three-year-old cougar was later located and killed by conservation officers.

It is the second cougar attack in Prince George in the past week.

Last Tuesday, an emaciated cougar dragged a dog off a resident's porch. It was also put down.

"We know we have cougars in the area, but it's very unusual to have two attacks so close together," said Gary Van Spengen, a conservation officer who has worked in Prince George for 12 years.

Van Spengen said there has been a gradual increase in cougar complaints over the past few years.

"We've had our deer population growing, and as prey species grow in numbers, so will the predators," he said.

Krasnesky's in-laws, the Patenaudes, who have three boys aged 10, 14 and 16, had Blackie for eight years and are "devastated" by his death.

Dolores Patenaude said the bilingual Lab, trained to answer commands in English and French, was her 10-year-old autistic son David's sleep buddy and best friend.

"She was David's constant companion when outdoors because of his lack of awareness to dangers he could encounter," she said.

David is a little lost, said Patenaude, but coping.

"They had many adventures together, including [her] pulling him away from dangerous waters," she said.

"We loved her unequivocally as she did us. She will always be our hero."

Krasnesky has nominated Blackie for the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, which recognizes heroic Canadian animals.

There is no prize money involved. The pet hero gets an honorary plaque.

It is Krasnesky's way of acknowledging the great sacrifice Blackie made for him.

"She's a candidate among no other," he said. "She was a good-natured girl. She was a good dog."

Thank God for dogs. That story is a tear jerker and I'm not a softy. My next thought is I hope somebodys hunting that cat with a vengence.

Greater Love hath no ...

Sad story. A most honorable soul!

The lion was probably already focused on the dogs as a target. I don't think I could have left my dog there to be eaten alive with out trying to fend off the attack.

I sorta suspect had he stayed all might have turned out fine but find it hard to be too rough on him. I couldn't have left either.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
The lion was probably already focused on the dogs as a target. I don't think I could have left my dog there to be eaten alive with out trying to fend off the attack.

I am with Ann on this one, I have five dogs, one of which is a black Lab, when they tangle with some critter, I am right there in the middle of it with them. There is usually a gun close by, so no problem. Being presented with this situation it would have been:
A: Jump right in and help the Lab fight the lion - or -
B: Toss the Pomeranian to the lion, grab the Lab and run like hell!