Alaska woman punches bear in face to save her tiny dog
‘It had her kind of like when they eat salmon,’ says owner of Fudge the dachshund
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A 22-year-old Alaska woman said on Wednesday she punched a black bear in the face to save her small dog from being carried off and possibly eaten.
Juneau resident Brooke Collins said she hit the bear Sunday night to save the life of her dachshund, Fudge. She said she discovered the bear crouched down, clutching Fudge in its paws and biting the back of the dog's neck.
"It had her kind of like when they eat salmon," Collins said Wednesday. "I was freaking out. I was screaming at it. My dog was screaming. I ran up to it ... I just punched it right in the snout and it let go."
Collins said her boyfriend then scared the bear away. "I think it was more startled than anything," she said.
Collins, a hairdresser who has lived in Juneau most of her life, said she is accustomed to bears and knows how to take precautions around them.
She also knew about this particular bear before Sunday's attack because it has been hanging around the neighborhood.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A 22-year-old Alaska woman said on Wednesday she punched a black bear in the face to save her small dog from being carried off and possibly eaten.
Juneau resident Brooke Collins said she hit the bear Sunday night to save the life of her dachshund, Fudge. She said she discovered the bear crouched down, clutching Fudge in its paws and biting the back of the dog's neck.
"It had her kind of like when they eat salmon," Collins said Wednesday. "I was freaking out. I was screaming at it. My dog was screaming. I ran up to it ... I just punched it right in the snout and it let go."
Collins said her boyfriend then scared the bear away. "I think it was more startled than anything," she said.
Collins, a hairdresser who has lived in Juneau most of her life, said she is accustomed to bears and knows how to take precautions around them.
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| Michael Penn / AP / Juneau Empire Safe and sound: Brook Collins holds her dog, Fudge, at her home in Juneau, Alaska on Tuesday. |
She also knew about this particular bear before Sunday's attack because it has been hanging around the neighborhood.
In this case, however, Fudge darted out the door before anyone checked the vicinity, she said.
Black bears frequently roam the downtown section of Alaska's capital city, which rests against a steep mountain slope and is surrounded by a dense rain forest.
Bear encounters are on the rise this year, despite efforts by local residents to lock away garbage and remove items that might attract the animals, said Neil Barton, a Juneau-based biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
"This year, I think, is a lot worse than last year. I would attribute that to lack of a berry crop," Barten said.
Production of berries around Juneau has been poor this summer, removing a key food source from the bears' diets.
"If they are not available, the bears look for other sources of food," he said.
Bears and dogs sometimes snarl at each other, but actual attacks on dogs are unusual, he said.
Collins said her dog Fudge has chased bears but never been attacked before.
The black bear she punched returned Tuesday, she said, because it was a trash pick-up day.
Bears used to frequent our bird feeders and trash can before we developed the discipline to bring them in each night. We found a short string of firecrackers tossed under their ass was a great motivator and made a lasting impression as there was usually a long break between visits. This year only one early sighting; lost a suet feeder and am running out of firecrackers.
ReplyDeleteEffective? In this instance yes. Would any sane person advise this method for dealing with bears? I think the results would have been quite different if the bear had cubs near by.
ReplyDeleteYou must not live near where there are bears. We have people encountering them around here pretty much on their deck or doorstep fairly frequently.
ReplyDeleteCubs or not, no bear is getting a dog of mine, large dog or small dog. You use what comes to hand, and you do what you need to do.
Actually there are a lot of black bears here. And I find myself agreeing with you on defending my dog. However, you made a big point of pointing out that it was done without a gun. Sure it worked, but it was also a gamble. A gun would have reduced the risk immensely.
ReplyDeleteA wounded bear is a very dangerous creature, potentially even more so than one that has grabbed a small dog but isn't starving or otherwise seriously motivated to hang on to it.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the heck involved with taking a bear out of season, or without a license.
And how do you determine whether the bear that has your dog is starving or not? Most wild animals will put up resistance to you taking food from them. But what do I know, you seem much better at divining a bear's intention than me.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the lack of a bear license, I'll take the hassle over possible death or disfigurement any day of the week. One look at the perforated dog would likely put that issue to rest anyway.
Thank god she didn't have a gun.
ReplyDeleteTrying to put a killshot on a bear, which has your dog in its mouth without missing both or hitting your dog by accident is prolly on the high side of difficult for someone who isn't quite disciplined and a good shooter. That would eliminate a large percentage of people who feel the necessity to walk around strapped.
ReplyDeleteIn the time it would take to grab your properly secured firearm and deploy it dachshund would prolly = dinner. Of couse then you could shoot the bear for stealing/eating your propitty, 'sides it was a BLACK bear.
democommie - the black bear comment almost made the coffee I was sipping while reading come out my nose! It hurts to laugh that hard and try to swallow coffee at the same time!
ReplyDeleteDamn, it always happens to someone other than the intended target--gosh, that's a lot like DGU's gone wrong.
ReplyDelete