Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pet Tales column
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"When it stood up it was taller than me. I felt its breath on my face."
She turned away as it tried to bite her face, so the bear repeatedly bit her shoulder and clawed her wrist before picking her up and flinging her 20 feet through the air.
"The bear wanted to kill me," said
She's convinced she's alive today because of the courage and intelligence of her daily walking companion, a 30-pound dog named Boomer.
"I tried to scream and could not make a sound. Boomer knew I needed her and she gave it everything she had," attacking the bear and chasing it away.
Boomer, 7, is a blue-eyed blue merle Australian shepherd (her registered AKC name is Gearhart Sound of Thunder) who is valued for her work at
Now Boomer is an official hero.
For nearly 20 years,
Boomer and Reina had been romping nearby, sometimes out of sight. When they ran back to
After the bear attacked
"But the fur was so thick, I don't think the bear could even feel it,"
"Get 'em!"
Boomer "repositioned herself" and got to the front of the bear, hanging on with her front legs still wrapped around the beast's neck. Boomer bit the bear in the face, again and again, and the bear screamed in agony. Then the bear ran for the woods with Boomer in hot pursuit.
What was the other dog doing through all of this?
"Reina is not a fighter,"
While Boomer battled the bear, Reina stayed by the side of
The incident was reported to the
Boomer had been been vaccinated against rabies, but was given a booster shot as a precaution.
The bear attack "really changed Boomer,"
Boomer's hair has since grown back and she has gained weight, but she is still always in close contact with
Although she's a hunter, she doesn't carry a gun on her walks. "A gun would not have helped me. The bear came so fast, I would not have gotten the gun out on time."
As for the AKC ACE award, "We are so excited and so honored,"
Boomer and the family are flying to
The other winners are a German shepherd K-9 officer who took a bullet in the line of duty; a blind pug that is a therapy dog and visits abused children; a mixed-breed dog that is a service dog for a wounded warrior; and a Labrador retriever who has traveled the world to do search and rescue work.
Go to www.akchumanefund.org for further information, including how to nominate dogs for the honor.
Bark in the Dark
The popular annual pledge walk and summer festival for the dogs returns to Hartwood Acres in
A cute little bichon frise named Minnie adorns the Bark in the Dark posters and T-shirts because Minnie and her owner,
Registration is
The festival starts at 5 p.m with registration, games, pet vendor fair, kid's area, canine massage tent, pup-arazzi photo booth and dog paw painting. Food trucks provide refreshments.
The dog walk starts at
Bring blankets or chairs for the show on the outdoor stage of the
Dog swim
The Doggy Dip at
Small dogs (30 pounds or less) swim at
Pre-registration online is
Pet Tales appears weekly in the Saturday Home & Garden section. Contact
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