A tiny but feisty Jack Russell terrier is back in her owner's care after surviving a bear attack that left her body torn and tattered.
And the Port Coquitlam owner is warning other dog owners to be aware of bears in local parks.
Denise Perrier's dog Izzy was off leash and scampering a head on a trail to the knoll in Minnekhada Regional Park when the pet turned a corner and was out of sight.
Perrier heard growling and assumed a dog fight was in the offing and ran to put a stop to it when she saw Izzy running from a small black bear.
It grabbed Izzy in a bear hug and began biting it. "All I could see was her little head peeking out," recalled Perrier about the incident last Thursday.
Perrier ran back to her truck with her other Jack Russell, Sneaky, and shut the door in a panic.
"I didn't know what to do. Should I go back and see if my dog's there in pieces." A few minutes later the little dog came out of the woods, dazed and confused, but alive.
Perrier drove Izzy to the Coast Meridian Animal Hospital where the vet expressed surprise that the dog survived the mauling.
"She's quite nervous now," said Perrier, of Izzy. But the PoCo resident won't let her dogs off leash in the woods any more or will bring bear bells with her or walk with a large group to avoid startling a bear.
Defensive reaction
That's good advice for dog owners, says Conservation Officer James Kelly.
"What happens with dogs off leash, we've seen this a few times before, is if it's off leash it will run ahead and if it sees a bear will start barking at it and the bear will start running. After awhile the bear says 'enough is enough,' Kelly said.
Naturally, the dog will run to where it feels safest - to the owner.
That happened last summer when an Anmore man was charged and swatted by a mother bear protecting her cubs from his off leash dog. "We haven't seen anything predatory against dogs, We've only seen defensive action," Kelly said.
Perrier said she should have trusted her instinct and kept the dogs close or avoided the park during bear season and will now be more cautious. But she is relieved to have her dog home safe and sound. "I'm just so blessed," she said.
People should also keep their garbage locked up, electrify fences around chicken yards and secure other attractants, according to Kelly, who said the number of bear sightings has increased in the last week.
Dial toll free 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) to report wildlife-human interactions where public safety is at risk.
