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Chemainus woman who sent cougar scurrying with Metallica tapped by German game show

And the answer is, Who used a heavy metal song in 2019 to eliminate danger?
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Dee Gallant and Murphy are going to be featured as a question in a German game show. (Photo submitted)

The fame – but limited fortune – of Chemainus woman Dee Gallant and her dog Murphy knows no bounds.

The incident where Gallant, while on a walk with Murphy in 2019, chased away a cougar by blaring the Metallica tune Don’t Tread On Me on her phone garnered world-wide headlines.

Now, representatives of a German game show contacted her asking for permission to use her as a topic. The game show, Gallant said, is big like jeopardy but can’t be named because of a confidentiality agreement she signed.

“I’m being paid for them to use my picture and talk about my cougar encounter,” she indicated. “How cool is that? I’ll probably never get to see it, but still pretty sweet.”

The German game show is known for posing difficult questions that only the most ardent trivia buffs will be able to answer. Gallant isn’t exactly sure how the question will be phrased.

She was initially asked for permission to use a screenshot of a conversation with Metallica frontman James Hetfield, who contacted Gallant after becoming aware of how his song warded off the cougar, and a photo he sent but the request was denied by Hetfield’s representatives.

The folks connected with the German game show settled for a photo of Gallant and Murphy instead. “I was their second choice,” she chuckled.

Gallant is continually amazed at how much publicity the cougar incident received.

“I didn’t think it would go as far as it did,” she said.

“The German game show just contacted me out of the blue.”

And what does Murphy think of all the attention?

“He’s lying on the couch with his head on the pillow,” Gallant laughed. “Any money I make I just spend on him anyway.”

Related story: Gallant’s Metallica move goes viral

The international hoopla all started from a simple social media post Gallant made after a stalemate with a cougar while walking Murphy south of Duncan. She waved her arms and called out to try and scare the cougar off but nothing worked.

As the big cat crept closer, Gallant pulled out her phone and cranked up the Metallica tune to send the cougar scurrying.

The story was carried by news agencies everywhere and gained more traction when Hetfield heard about it and contacted Gallant directly.

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Cougar encounter in 2019 put Dee Gallant and Murphy in the headlines world-wide. (Photo submitted)
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Dee Gallant and Murphy are already world famous many times over. (Photo submitted)


Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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