A Connecticut family dog is being celebrated as a hero after confronting a black bear that rushed toward a young boy outside his home — a courageous act that later earned the loyal pup an award.
The frightening encounter happened on July 4, when 6-year-old Colton Tazzara was playing in the front yard of his family’s house and suddenly found himself facing the large wild animal.
Security footage from the home captured the tense moment the bear charged toward the small child, leaving Colton with little time to react as he stood in its path.
Before the situation could turn disastrous, the family’s husky mix, Bella, sprinted into action and put herself between the boy and the approaching bear.
Colton’s father, Jeffery Tazzara, told ABC News that he first realized something was wrong when he heard Bella barking in a way he had never heard before.
“A vicious bark, not like she barks and yips and howls and stuff … this was a different kind of bark,” Tazzara said.
The video shows Bella intercepting the bear just before it reached Colton, snapping at the animal’s tail and forcing it to veer away from the child.
Bella then kept up the chase, driving the bear out of the Tazzara family’s front yard and ending the terrifying encounter.
“[S]he 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,” Tazzara told the outlet.
Bella was then honored for her action by local politicians on July 17, who praised her for “incredible bravery” in chasing down the black bear.
“Stories like hers remind us of the remarkable bond between families and their pets and the incredible acts of heroism that can happen in our own communities,” State Sen. Stephen Harding said in a Facebook post.
“Congratulations, Bella, on this well-deserved recognition. Connecticut is proud to call you one very good dog!” Harding said.
