KSLTV News says that on July 19, a Labrador dog in Cedar Hills, Utah, saved its family by fighting off a mountain lion. Even though the dog was hurt badly, it lived to see another day.

Ella, a 7-year-old yellow Lab, saw the mountain lion while Crystal Michaelis and her kids were playing in the backyard. Michaelis didn’t see the mountain lion, but she did notice that Ella was acting strangely and looking back and forth between the kids and the area where the mountain lion was hiding.

Michaelis brought her kids inside in the end. Ella had serious cuts on her head, face, legs, tongue, and neck as they walked back to the patio door. Ella was covered in blood when we opened the back door and looked at her. “There was blood all over the door and the terrace,” Michaelis said.

The family wasn’t there at the time of the fight, but the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources found mountain lion tracks going to the area. Wildlife experts think the mountain lion may have gotten too close to the Michaelis’ house because it was distracted by goats in a neighbor’s yard.

Even though the mountain lion hasn’t been seen in a while, the Utah DWR wants people to keep an eye out and be careful. Faith Jolley, a DWR public relations officer, says that cougars usually go where deer go because deer are their main food source. “Deer have also been seen in this area,” she said.

Ella was bitten about 30 times, all of which started at her shoulders and moved down. Which, Michaelis tells us, “shows that she never gave up and fought for her protective stance. “Even though Ella was hurt, she is expected to get better.

Watch the video below to learn more about the story: