Urban grizzly attacks man and dog

[cleofus1]

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6856115p-6751904c.html

"Gary Paterna was walking his dog down an overgrown trail in the woods southeast of his Chugach Foothills neighborhood Tuesday evening when a heart-stopping roar erupted behind him. I hadn't taken one or two steps when the bear burst out of the brush," he said Wednesday. "It charged down and then it stopped. It was a grizzly sow, with at least one cub, and it growled upon finding a human so close to its offspring. The encounter was near the boundary of Far North Bicentennial Park, perhaps 1,200 yards from suburban homes and lawns off the Tudor-Muldoon curve.

What I remember was just how big the head was -- it seemed enormous," Paterna said later. "I was scared. I took another couple steps backward and then it hit me. The bear swatted his chest and knocked him to the ground so fast that Paterna later wasn't quite sure how it happened. But the dog, a 9-year-old Brittany spaniel named Tok, drew the bear's attention. The bear pounced on the dog, giving Paterna time to leap to this feet. He saw Tok trapped between the bear's paws and started to back away. He didn't get far.

Twice more, the bear knocked him down. Twice more the dog's presence seemed to interrupt the attack. Each time she hit me, it was a matter of backing off and snarling, and it was fast," he said. "More like a body check -- she'd hit me, knock me down and back off quickly. After the third hit, the bear bolted up the trail, allowing Paterna and Tok to run for the Klutina Drive trail head, where he warned other hikers and called 911."

[praxiz]

1. An urban grizzly? Sounds scary.

Do these urban grizzlys wear iPods and hang around starbucks?

[cleofus1]

4. ha ha

i think they just mean brown bear that live inside the city limits....

[justacitizen]

2. Grizzlies are awesome

I enjoy hiking and was charged by a sow Grizzly in Alaska. She meant me no harm...just wanted me to get away from her cubs.

[Gildor Inglorion]

3. Welcome to DU, citizen...you're a BRAVE one.

I admire and respect bears, too, but I'm content to stay far, far away from their stomping grounds.
:hi:

[cleofus1]

5. hey...thank the monkey god

for man's best friend...the dog!

[BikeWriter]

7. Yep, you won't see a cat doing that.

[Shell Beau]

8. I know that all 3 of my dogs would stand in the line

of fire for me. I think it is a true testament of how great their love is for their owners.

[BikeWriter]

14. The last one I owned was a Great Dane...

He'd keep the big range cows at bay while we doctored their calves. There's no doubt in my mind he'd have attacked a bear for me.

[Shell Beau]

15. He was probably about

the size of a bear! It's nice to have something to feel so protected by.

[BikeWriter]

16. He was a great dog, and did anything he could to please me.

:)

[cleofus1]

6. paterna and tok

both lived to tell the tale...there is no greater love than a dog's love for his master...

[cleofus1]

9. yeah this is the best part...

The 60-year-old grandfather of five suffered scrapes and a sore hip where he'd fallen -- plus five distinct claw marks and a purple bruise across his chest.

And Tok, the dog who didn't flee when his master was attacked, didn't appear hurt at all.

"It's great to be alive," said Paterna, a former air traffic specialist who organizes schedules for a tour company. "It is just super."

[leftylady]

10. Bears Really Don't Like Dogs, Either

Not a good idea to walk a dog in bear country. They will go after the dog.

[cleofus1]

11. funny

most people up here think that is why you should have a dog with you...when out and about...actually it's a fairly common practice for that very reason....

[Shell Beau]

13. I agree. If you come across a bear, any distraction is

probably good.

[Shell Beau]

12. Well, bears probably don't care for a lot of animals.

But this dog stood up for its owner and won out in the end. I would take my dog for my protection.

[leftylady]

17. No, Really.

If you are camping in grisly country they tell you not to take a dog. The bears will in after the dogs.

[cleofus1]

18. you do seem to have a point there

but everyone from eskimos to forest rangers to guides recommend you take dogs with you when possible...close encounters up here are a regular occurrence and forest service has public service info in all media that recommend dogs as one element of bear safety...for natives, dogs are always with them....maybe it's just different up here...i will look into this a little more...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. At first I read "Urban grizzly attacks man on dog"

Thought the "urban grizzly" was Rick Santorum.