Family dog gets in between charging bear and young boy
A family dog pulled off an act of bravery over the weekend, leaping in between a charging bear and a young child.
Video from Jeffrey Tazzara's home security system, licensed by Storyful, shows his young son standing in the driveway outside Tazzara's home as a black bear appears, running toward the child at a high speed.
As the boy backs away, the family's husky mix, Bella, is seen running over from across the yard and chasing the bear away, circling behind the animal and placing itself in between the bear and the boy.
The bear, seemingly frightened, quickly turns away from the boy and continues running, sliding under a boat parked in the driveway.
According to Storyful, Tazzara said the footage was filmed Saturday at his home in Connecticut.
Tazzara told ABC News he was packing up and getting ready to depart for a Fourth of July party when he heard his dog barking.
"A vicious bark, not like she barks and yips and howls and stuff ... this was a different kind of bark," he recounted.
Tazzara said he then saw Bella chasing down the bear in front of his 6-year-old son, who was standing in front of him.
"Bella finally caught up to the bear, like right in the middle of the driveway, and she bit it in the rear end, and the bear ended up crashing into my boat, and then I think [it] scurried under the boat and then through the back between the houses and into the woods," he said.
Tazzara said he plans to reward Bella with a steak at the next family steak night, but he added that she has a pretty good setup as it stands.
"She lives the life probably that most dogs wish they had. She's never, never been on a leash in her life," he said.
He added, "She just, she does what she wants. She gets tons of treats."
Connecticut's black bear population has been growing over the past several decades, according to the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, with increased sightings near residential areas.
"The mere presence of a bear does not necessitate its removal. In most cases, if left alone, the bear will make its way to a more natural habitat," the agency states, adding that "removing food attractants, such as bird feeders, reduces the chance that bears will go near homes."
The agency also offers up several tips for anyone who encounters a black bear:
- Observe it from a distance.
- Advertise your presence by shouting and waving your arms or walk slowly away.
- Never attempt to feed or attract bears.
- Report bear sightings to wildlife officials.
