Dustin Gray, a 29 year-old man from Bangor, Maine took his 11 month-old puppy for a walk in the woods near Route 1A in Dedham, when a black bear appeared and began to bite the pet. Gray was shocked to see a bear that was awake from its winter slumber but attacked it, kicking and punching it. The bear knocked him over but Gray poked it in the eye and made the bear flee.
"Definitely, that was the last thing on my mind, seeing a bear in the winter. Clover is in worse shape, and still recovering from significant puncture wounds," Gray said.
According to him, the bear weighed around 80 kg and the fight lasted about 30 seconds. Gray took only several scratches, while the puppy suffered severe claw wounds.
The dog is currently being treated for the injuries sustained. The Maine Warden Service is conducting an investigation into the incident.
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Bear attacks are unusual, especially in the winter when bears are assumed to be hibernating. Although there are no official statistics on bear attacks, news reports show at least 24 lethal attacks during the current decade in the United States and Canada.
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