There’s nothing worse than a vicious dog attacking another dog. That is, unless a heroic cat steps in to save the day.

A similar situation occurred in Nampa when a dog had a long road to recovery after being brutally attacked by another dog.

The owner, Michaella Franklin, had to endure the horrific sight of a bloody attack happening right in her garage.

It was a regular Saturday, and Franklin was busy working around the house and yard when a neighbor’s large dog suddenly appeared in front of her house. She recounted the terrifying moment, saying:

“It just kind of looked at me, and I’m looking around like, where is the owner of this dog? Then it saw my dog and it ran into my garage, and my dog kind of hunkered down for safety and it just mauled her.”

Franklin’s seven-year-old dog, Bailey, was defenseless against the large and aggressive dog. Despite her best efforts to separate them by pulling their collars, her attempts were in vain.

Realizing she had to do something to save her beloved dog, she even tried using a bike pump to push the attacking dog away from Bailey. But, that didn’t help either. Franklin said:

“It seemed like it went on for ten or fifteen minutes.”

But then, an incredible savior emerged. Franklin’s Siamese cat, Mocha, darted out of the house upon hearing the commotion. Mocha’s intervention distracted the aggressor, allowing Bailey to break free.

If it weren’t for this heroic feline, who knows what could have happened to Bailey. Franklin said:

“Bailey is alive today because of my cat, Mocha, without a doubt.”

While Franklin was relieved her dog survived, she was also shocked and wanted someone to be held accountable for the incident. 

Nampa Animal Control informed her that the owner of the attacking dog had been cited for the incident. However, animal-on-animal attacks are treated differently by law enforcement compared to attacks on humans.

Shelly Duff, Nampa Animal Control Officer, explained:

“It is different because we’re dealing with nature, and we’re more concerned with public safety, safety of people.”

She explained that dog-on-dog attacks are typically not viewed as threats to human safety because they are more akin to a predator-prey scenario and rarely involve aggression towards humans. 

Despite Bailey’s survival, he sustained severe injuries with deep bites, requiring costly surgery. Veterinary bills approached nearly $2,000. Duff stated

“We will request the vet bills and we will put them in the report, and when they go to court the prosecuting attorney can ask that the dog owner, of the attacking dog, pay the bills.”

Following the surgery, Bailey returned home to begin a lengthy recovery, always accompanied by his feline savior, Mocha, who refused to leave his side. Franklin lovingly noted:

“They’re like brother and sister.”

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. In this extraordinary case, Mocha, a brave kitty with a determined heart and soft fur, proved that you don’t need a cape to save the day!

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