During the captured on-camera encounter, a devoted dog showed bravery beyond his years to repel a roving bear that broke into a California home while his owner slept soundly.
When the beast broke through the screen door, Doodle, a 17-year-old dog, was in for the scare of his life.
Over the weekend, Doodle’s owner, Zoe Cadman, claimed that the bear spent about 20 minutes wandering around her Monrovia home while she was asleep.
With the bear sticking its head inside, Doodle, determined to defend his territory, shuffled over to the damaged door. As he dodged the swipe and snarled back, Doodle’s long life undoubtedly flashed before his eyes as the ursine invader lunged out and clawed at him.
After a brief moment of eye contact, the two creatures nearly touched noses, as if interested in each other. Doodle yipped once more before scuttling off, clearly not appreciating the bear’s investigation.
Nevertheless, as though it were lost, the bear kept moving through the front door.
At last, Cadman awoke to the sight of a dim light emanating from her kitchen. The hungry bear managed to open her refrigerator and quickly rummaged through it before leaving the house as if nothing had happened, save for the frazzled puppy and broken doorway.
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On home security footage, the enormous bear, which seemed to be wearing a collar of some kind, was seen prowling around the house. Although neighbors in the area reported that the bear was a frequent visitor, it was not immediately apparent if it belonged to anyone or was being tracked.
Living up here is a part of it. The mountains, which were here first, are very close to us. Fortunately, though, they’ve all been incredibly cordial when they’ve come through here,” local resident Austin Hart said.
Man’s best friend will frequently go to great lengths to defend their owners, even if it means sacrificing themselves.
In 2022, a California woman was protected from a mountain lion in Northern California by her dog, Eva. The 2.5-year-old puppy Eva later passed away from her wounds from the altercation.
In a Los Angeles neighborhood earlier this year, Duke, another courageous dog, faced off against a pack of coyotes for nearly an hour.
Days after a video of the dog’s standoff went viral, nearby homeowners noticed the dog still wandering the neighborhood and called for his transfer to a shelter, where he was eventually adopted.
