(CNN) – Every dog has its day. For Terry Kasper’s mixed lab, Ella, that day came early in the morning.

Terry Kasper: “I thought my dog had an upset stomach, so about 2AM I took her out. We walked halfway down the block.”

It was last month a routine walk down Dailey Drive.

Kasper: “Then all of a sudden you hear the crashing right behind the side of the house near the trees and there she is, full speed. It’s unbelievable how fast she was.”

When Kasper came face to face with Alaska wildlife right in the middle of Oceanview.

Kasper: “This cow moose comes snorting and spitting, the hair standing up and she’s charging.”

Kasper has run 26 marathons yet he knew he couldn’t outrun this moose.

Kasper: “I said Ella, run Ella run, so I started to curl up into a ball to protect my head and my insides and I thought I was going to get pounded.”

But then Kasper says the moose took a sudden turn. Ella refused to leave her owner’s side.

Kasper: “Here, this moose is within 10 yards of me, I lost track of where she was, I said she’s out of the danger zone she came back, charged that moose, came along that fence chasing the moose that moose is going full speed along that fence.”

Giving a whole new meaning to man’s best friend.

Kasper: “That’s what I’m saying, that’s a devoted dog and who would have thought a shelter dog 21 months ago would put her life on the line for me. Haha.”

Kasper rescued Ella from a shelter. Two years later, she rescued him right back.

Kasper: “That is a devoted friend. Ha.”

Kasper completed the mayor’s marathon on June 18th. He says he wouldn’t have been able to run if the moose had got to him that day in May. So now, he calls his dog “Coach Ella” because she kept him in the game.