Port Alberni, British Columbia, was the home of the chihuahua Frank and his big mutt companion Bear. In July of 2001 they were running about the woods after a rabbit, when tiny Frank was suddenly snatched up by a cougar. Terry Herberts and her children heard the dog yelping in terror and arrived in time to see the cougar running off, a limp chihuahua in its jaws.

Cougars frequently bury their prey and come back for it a day or so later. That's what happened to Frank. He got buried alive -- or at any rate half alive.

The next morning, Bear clearly wanted to search for Frank. The family called out to their lost dog not expecting any answer, but Bear seemed insistent about something, and soon enough Frank was was found in a shallow grave, severely bruised, with internal injuries requiring veterinarian attention, but no outward lesions expected of a cougar attack.

Sometimes good luck and bad luck for a strange amalgam. As Frank's vet pointed out, "That cougar could've bit Frank in half!"