That’s what one tiny but very brave proved in the week, after she defended her 10-year-old owner from a coyote, sustaining injuries in the process. Macy may be a 6-year-old Yorkie mixed-race. She lives in Scarborough, Toronto with her owner Dorothy Kwan and her family.

Recently, Macy was out for a walk with the family’s 10-year-old daughter — and things took a drastic turn when the girl came face-to-face with a wild coyote. But amazingly, the small dog stepped up to be a hero, facing off with the coyote to guard her owner. Watch the dramatic moment in the video:

The footage is distressing: you’ll see the coyote attacking Macy within the background because the girl cries for help. But in the end, however, Messi was the winner in the showdown: Messi continued to bark, and eventually the coyote retreated, as if driven away by the smaller dog.

“You can see our dog putting herself between my daughter and therefore the coyote,” Dorothy Kwan told blogTO. “Even after she was seriously injured, she continued to bark and chase the coyote away. She fought back.” While Macy succeeded in avoiding the coyote, she was still left with some severe injuries. “She received extensive injuries to her body and leg,” Dorothy wrote. “She is undergoing surgery for her wounds at the emergency animal hospital.”

Dorothy was heartbroken, knowing that her beloved little dog had been injured in order to save many of her daughters. “My heart is breaking for both my baby and our dog whom we rescued 5 years ago. I’m one mom of two and my children and our dog mean everything to me.” Macy was taken to the animal hospital where she received a look after her wounds, but the bill ended up costing thousands.

But when the family put up a GoFundMe page raising money for the funds, sharing Macy’s heroic story with the planet, people came through: the page has nearly $20,000, doubling its fundraising goal.

Even better, Messi is now recovering well, in line with Dorothy’s update on the fundraising page. “Her fever is gone and she’s got her appetite back,” she wrote today. “I am so very pleased with her. No coyotes will want to mess together with her when she comes home. My feisty girl may be a true fighter. I really like you. you’ll do this!”