A Langford, B.C. man whose dog was snatched away by a starving cougar says he didn’t think twice as he gave chase and punched the big cat square in the face to rescue his pet.

Shawn Hanson said he was then forced to fatally shoot the cougar when it showed no fear toward him.

It happened on Friday at Salmon Beach near Ucluelet.

Hanson had just returned from a fishing trip and said he was about to clean salmon he had caught when the animal suddenly jumped out of the bushes about five metres away.

“I got over to the cleaning table, set them down, and just out of the corner of my eye I see a little flash,” he said. “I look down and it’s a small cougar dragging my dog off into the bushes.”

The cougar, which appeared to be juvenile and malnourished, took off into the thick bush with the miniature Dachshund, Bailey, in its jaws.

Hanson gave chase, eventually reaching a dried-up creek caked with thick mud.

“It slowed me down, and it probably slowed it down too,” he recalled. “We started to climb up a hill and I was able to spring forward enough to be able to grab on to the back of the cougar, on its rear end.”

Hanson then reached for his dog with his free hand but the cougar wouldn’t let go.

“At that point there it was still hanging on so I reached back and I punched it in the face,” he said. “It stunned it enough that it dropped my dog, so I scooped up my dog and pulled back.”

He carried the injured dog back down the hill and gave him to a friend before grabbing a rifle from his truck with the intention of scaring the cat off.

But when he went back – the cougar was in the exact spot where he had punched it minutes earlier.

“It took a couple little steps toward me so I went off on a 45-degree angle and fired a warning shot,” said Hanson. “It didn’t even phase it. It just kept staring at me.”

He said the animal then took a few short lunges at him, prompting him to raise his rifle once more – and open fire.

“It took two more steps, and I had to put the cougar down. And it was pretty much over at that point.”

Hanson then reported the encounter to RCMP and conservation officers, who say they had been tracking the starving cat and that Hanson’s actions were justified.

“Before they starve to death, they’ll do anything to survive,” said human-wildlife conflict specialist Mike Badry. “It that cougar had been a little bit bigger, stronger and more motivated, it could’ve caused some damage.”

Badry said it would be unlikely that any sort of charges would result from the cougar’s death.

While Hanson said he’s not proud of the fact he killed a cougar, he would do whatever it takes to save his dog.

“Unfortunately yes, I had to discharge my rifle, but [the cougar] was being aggressive in a manner that it was coming towards me,” he said. “If it wouldn’t have attacked me, it would have attacked somebody else.”

According to the province, cougar activity is up this year with about 200 calls on Vancouver Island since April.

Experts say if you encounter a cougar, make yourself look big, make eye contact and never turn your back on the animal.

If you spot one, call the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

With a report from CTV Vancouver Island's Scott Cunningham