Florida woman defends dogs from otter

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 4 (UPI) — When a Florida woman saw an otter attempt to drag her dogs into a canal, the Mediterrania resident responded by punching the otter until it retreated.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Leah Vanon was forced to wade into the canal’s water and repeatedly punch the otter after it viciously attacked her Labrador and then her smaller fox terrier.

“It was attacking her to death,” Vanon said of Tuesday’s event. “It wasn’t going to stop until it killed her.”

The dogs received treatment for their wounds and did not require stitches.

A resident of a Boca Raton suburb and a mother of two, Vanon said otters are rarely seen in the area and none of her neighbors had ever complained of their behavior before.

David Hitzig, director of the area’s Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, said the attack could have been the territorial in nature.

“Maybe the dogs surprised the babies and mom went into defensive mode,” he told the Sun-Sentinel. “Otters are curious creatures but never make contact.”