According to Reuters, 31-year-old William Gibb of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, told police that he rescued his dog from one of the fierce felines Monday outside a Tim Hortons restaurant in Whitecourt.

Gibb said the cougar pinned the 80-pound husky, Sasha, while she was out for a walk, Reuters reported.

"I could see something wrapped around her and wasn't sure what it was," Gibb said. "I ran over and punched it in what I thought was the head, and it backed off and I realized it was a cougar."

"He was quite lucky," Whitecourt RCMP Sgt. Tom Kalis told The Guardian, adding that cougars are often seen in the area but rarely attack.

The dog received stitches at a nearby veterinary clinic and was released, according to the CBC. Authorities reportedly killed the cougar.

>> Click here to watch the news report from the CBC

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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