Michigan man punches bear in nose to save dog's life

Caroline Blackmon | Detroit Free Press

A man kicked and punched a bear to protect his beagle earlier this month, according to a report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

At 4:30 a.m., a man let his beagle out on a leash in the Boyne Falls area, which is near Three Bears Mountain Nature Preserve. When he went back outside to let his dog in, he saw a bear running up his driveway. The bear began swatting at the barking dog, so the man kicked the bear as he tried to get his dog in the house to safety.

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Then, the bear bit the dog. The man punched the bear in the nose, which forced the bear to retreat and allowed the man to take the dog into the house.

The beagle needed several stitches in its side and rear end, according to the report. Andrea Erratt, a conservation officer for the DNR, answered the complaint and gave the man several tips to keep bears away in the future, including removing bird feeders, cleaning up sunflower seed husks, spreading moth balls and not feeding food to deer and turkeys.