A loyal German Shepherd saves her owner’s life when they suddenly got attacked by bears during a jog at the Trans Canada Trail in Yukon, Canada on Sunday, June 30.
In a statement released by the Yukon Conservation Officer Services, they revealed that the incident happened on June 30 at 10:30 PM.
Vanessa Chaput, along with her German Shepherd, Luna, were jogging on a paved trail when they both encountered a group of grizzly bears on the trail.
Chaput tells TODAY, “I spotted the male that would attack me first … and two smaller bears about 10 feet away from me.”
“There was also a fourth, smaller bear right behind me, which I didn’t see,” she reveals.
Chaput backed away from the group of grizzly bears. However, it was a different story for Luna. The German Shepherd, who was leashed, broke away from her owner and chased the two smaller bears away.
However, this posed a problem as Chaput was left with the third bear.
The larger male bear charged in Chaput’s direction, attacking her. “I picked a tree to get behind but the bear took me down … it took my head in its mouth and I ended up on the ground,” she says.
Chaput says she didn’t scream or feel any sort of pain. Instead, she said she felt like rag doll and there was nothing she could do.
“I remember being thrown around,” she recalls.
Chaput recalls the bear’s claw wrapping around her body, piercing her skin and scratching her thighs. Along with these, the bear also bit Chaput’s arm.
During the attack, the dog owner and mom thought, “I’m not ready to leave my daughter and my husband.”
At one point during the attack, Chaput reveals to Inside Edition that her hair clip broke and “exploded” inside the bear’s mouth.
“It crushed the clip and I think the spring part just kind of exploded in his mouth,” she explains.
And just at the right time, Luna returns to the scene and scares the bear off by barking non-stop.
“Her barking saved my life,” says Chaput.
Both authorities and Chaput believe that Luna’s continued barking scared the bear off, which helped save Chaput’s life that day.
Chaput also reveals that when Luna returned, she was unharmed from her encounter with the two smaller bears.
The dog owner tells TODAY, “I am very shocked at how lucky I am. I’m extremely thankful that God was watching over me that day.”
After the bear attack, Chaput was hospitalized for 10 days and received more than 30 stitches on her head, back, arm, and ear. She also had a broken arm, which is still in a cast.
Furthermore, the Yukon Conservation Officer Services reveals that they have euthanized a bear that was present at the exact location of the attack.
“Three additional bears matching the description were located in the area and two were euthanized. Efforts are still being made to recover the fourth bear. Officers are monitoring the area and using a variety of tools, including helicopters and drones, to continue their search of the remaining animal,” they explained.
The Yukon Conservation Officer Services also said they recognize public concern about euthanizing bears after a defensive attack.
They wrote, “In circumstances like this, critical decisions are made in the interest of public safety and the safety of personnel, in conjunction with predator attack response protocols, using all information available.”
“Officers take this responsibility and the outcomes of their decisions seriously.”
