We humans do not deserve dogs.

Once you form a bond with your dog, they’re companions for life. Also, they can make for some pretty damn good guards whenever they feel like they’re being threatened, or their owners are being threatened.

We’ve seen a number of dogs go toe to toe with bears, not backing down to the point where the bears want nothing to do with them, and walk away.

However, this is the first time I can say I’ve heard a story about a dog fending off a vicious mountain lion.

According to KSLTV, Ella, a seven-year-old yellow lab in Cedar Hills, Utah, suffered some serious injuries while fighting a mountain lion on July 19th, but was ultimately successful and ended up surviving the attack.

Ella’s owner, Crystal Michaelis, was sitting outside while her kids were playing in the backyard. She noticed that Ella was acting odd:

“She kept looking at the kids and then quickly looking back. She was just being very cautious and my daughter thought it was very concerning.”

Just to be safe, Michaelis took her kids back inside.

However, when she returned, she noticed Ella had severe cuts on her head, face, legs, tongue, and neck:

“We opened the back door and found Ella just bloodied. There was blood all over the door and all over the patio.”

Although they didn’t see the fight, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources discovered mountain lion tracks leading up to the scene of the attack, and believed it was possible that a mountain lion was planning an attack on some nearby goats in a neighbor’s yard.

Or God forbid, her children…

Nevertheless, Ella stood her ground, and was treated for her injuries and is making a full recovery.

Here’s to Ella, one badass mf’er.