The father of a little boy that was attacked by a young cougar on Friday night near Cowichan Lake says he is doing well, and will likely be getting a dog soon.
Kevin Bromley says conservation officers told him it was likely the sound of children playing that attracted the young cougar, who pounded on Zach from behind and clawed him on the top of his head, and bit his arm.
Bromley says it was his wife that heard the commotion and intervened -- trying to pry the big cat's jaws open -- finally succeeding in scaring the animal off.
Conservation officers advised Bromley a dog may make a good addition to the family:
The conservation officers were pretty unanimous that with that type of animal, there's bears and there's also some animals that are less frequent, but the cougars are so perfectly stealthy. And if it's intent on your kid the chance are you know pretty minimal, pretty miraculous that you're going to get through it if it's truly after your kids. But the digs apparently are what they said were probably the only realistic deterrent."
Zach is taking some time off school to recover. Bromley says his wife, Chelsea, is a hero for jumping in and thwarting the attack. She also suffered bites and is recovering.