Dog picks fight with bear, leaving 65-year-old owner wounded, Connecticut officials say

A 65-year-old Connecticut man was wounded after encountering a black bear outside his home in Litchfield, officials told news outlets.

The bear was investigating the area around the house at about 11:15 a.m. July 1 — trying to get at some bird feeders hung outside — when the homeowner’s dog spotted the beast and sprang into action, wildlife officials told WTNH.

Seeing that the dog was getting into a fight it couldn’t win, the owner stepped in to break it up, the outlet reported.

The bear bit the man’s hand during the struggle, then ran off into some nearby woods, officials told WFSB.

The owner was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the dog was taken to a veterinarian hospital, the station reported. It’s not clear how severe the dog’s injuries are.

Wildlife officials searched the woods near the home but didn’t find the bear, WVIT reported.

Bird feeders and trash cans are two common ways that homeowners unintentionally attract black bears, which inevitably leads to encounters, officials told the outlet.

“Please take steps to secure your trash cans and avoid leaving food scraps outdoors,” officials said in a tweet.

For more information on how to avoid conflict with bears, visit the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s page on living with black bears.

This story was originally published July 2, 2023 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Dog picks fight with bear, leaving 65-year-old owner wounded, Connecticut officials say."