Alaska Woman Punches Bear in Snout to Save Dog

Wow, score one for Alaskan womanhood:

Black bears in residential neighborhoods aren't exactly unheard of in Juneau [Alaska]. While many people stay inside when bears are about, one local woman says she had a different instinct when she saw her dog was in trouble.

It started out as a typical evening for 22-year-old Brooke Collins. She let her dogs out as usual but this time, she said there was a black bear outside who took hold of her dachshund Fudge.

She said she feared for her pet's life and, in an instant, ran over and punched the bear right in the face to make it let go.

[. . .]

She said her boyfriend Regan O'Toole came out upon hearing the screaming. O'Toole said the bear already looked startled from being punched at that point. He said the animal went down the driveway and into the bushes to the mountain as he ran toward it.

I chased off an opossum once that was harassing my cat. An opossum- not a bear. Yeah, and I felt good about that... geesh. Brooke Collins, I salute you.

This is a black bear. It eats bloggers for lunch.