Florida Man Fights Bear to Protect His Dogs

Wild Ring Cam footage captured in Daytona Beach shows the moment the heroic homeowner fought the beast to protect his dogs.

The video, shared by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, shows the man on his front porch, while his three curious miniature dachshunds go over to investigate a noise approaching the front doorway.

He later told FWC officials he thought it was another dog; it wasn't.

A huge black bear suddenly clambers into the porch and attacks the tiny dogs. Without thinking, the man dives on top of his yelping pups, yelling and screaming as he uses his body to shield them.

The bear can be seen biting and clawing at his back, but somehow, the man manages to fight it off and force it back out into the yard.

The quick-thinking homeowner then immediately drags a bench across the doorway to block it — but luckily the bear seems to have had enough, and doesn't come back for a second round.

"Oh my God!" the hero yells back into the house, "I just got attacked by a bear!"

"Luckily the man's injuries were not life-threatening and his dogs were not injured," a FWC official said — but they certainly look pretty painful in pictures obtained by Fox35, with punctures and lacerations across his back and shoulder.

The FWC said that while incidents like this are normally extremely rare, it's actually the second time it's happened within a week.

Last week a woman in DeBary, about 30 miles away, was walking her dogs around 9 PM when she came across a startled mama bear and her cubs, and was attacked.

Luckily she escaped with her life — but with injuries to her head, face and back — after neighbors managed to scare the bears away into the woods.

The bear was later tracked, and after determining she was a threat to the public, officers humanely euthanized her. Her 100lb cubs, which were more than a year old, were determined old enough to fend for themselves.

The FWC said it receives up to 6,000 bear-related calls a year; however it has only documented 15 incidents of people being moderately to seriously injured by bears in more than 50 years.

After this latest incident, officers began canvassing the area to inform the public, and share tips on avoiding encounters with bears, like removing or securing all food attractants from around your house and yard, including garbage, pet food and bird seed.

If you do encounter a bear, the officers advise against running, which may trigger a chase response; instead, back away slowly in the opposite direction and wait for the bear to leave. From a safe distance, make loud noises to scare away the bear; give the bear a clear escape route, and do not corner it.

"If you have a dog, bang on your door and flash your outdoor lights on and off to give a bear time to leave the area before letting your dog out in the yard," the advice reads.

"If your dog and a bear make contact, make noise and use bear spray or a water hose to try and break them up."

And finally, if all else fails and a bear attacks you: "Fight back aggressively."