While the focus of the story is on a "lone" wolf attack, the reality is that when they found the kill site they found a pack had killed the dog and ate it. The one animal that the owner saw might have been warded off by bear spray but you can bet the other pack animals that she wasn't aware of would have finished the attack. "Two adult and three juvenile wolves — the Pyramid pack — had chosen Helio for dinner."

Unfortunately for the owner, there is nothing practical that she could have done to ward off the attack once begun. After watching some film of wolves in action and see how they take down prey like elk or even turn on a loner within their own pack - once they set their mind on something, thats it. She was lucky it was only her dog they were after.

Malcolm preaches caution: move in groups, make noise, bring pepper spray, and keeping children and pets close. If you run into a predator, assess what’s happening. “We try to get people to differentiate between a predatory and a defensive attack, because your actions determine your success,” Malcolm said. “If it’s defensive, not aggressive, create space, use bear spray, remove yourself. If it’s a predatory attack, that’s not going to work.”