After 350-Pound Bear Attacks His Dog, California Resident Plows, Tackles And Punches Bear To Save His Pit Bull

New York Post

You never know what you’re going to see when walking in the California woods, but having an actual encounter with a dangerous bear is probably one of the things that everyone worries about the most. For one Grass Valley California native, Kaleb Benham, that’s exactly what happened to him the day before Thanksgiving.


Although giant bears are common in the area of Nevada County in the Golden State, they tend to spend more time in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Black bears are known to cause havoc in nearby neighborhoods though, going through people’s trash cans and even prowling through bike pathways through the well-used mountain trails. Meanwhile, some residents have even shared stories of bears hanging out in the many cannabis farms around the area as well.

As for Benham and his 90-pound pit bull, Buddy, on November 25, the two happened to be outside their house on You Bet Road playing, when Benham would hear a rather formidable sound. He would soon find out that the sound was coming from a giant, 350-pound bear that had come across his pit bull, Buddy.

US Fish & Wildlife Service

Benham told the media outlet CBS 13 Sacramento, “I heard a growl, looked about 75-100 feet down, and the bear was dragging him by his head, had his head in his mouth.” Although it was a terrifying sight, Benham’s parental instincts kicked it and he did what he had to do to save someone he loved. Without a single thought to his own safety, he ran down to try and save his beloved Buddy.

“I just ran down there, plowed into the bear, tackled it and grabbed it by the throat and started hitting it in the face and the eye until it let go. Honestly, the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby,” he said.

 

Incredibly, the humongous bear finally let go of the dog and ran away, but Buddy was severely hurt from the encounter. Benham picked him up and rushed him as quickly as he could to a nearby veterinary clinic in their town.

Unfortunately, the first veterinary clinic he attempted to go to was closed due to a Covid-19 infection. Benham shared, “My first thought was that I was going to lose him.”

Thankfully he was able to find one that was open, the Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital. They took Buddy in and went to work immediately, attempting to do what they could to heal the damage done to the pit bull. The vets had to insert tubes into the dog’s head in order to drain fluid buildup, as well as staple and stitch up all of his wounds, one of which was a puncture to the left side of Buddy’s mouth.

Benham also shared, “I just stood there and watched through the window for 3 ½ hours,” waiting and praying that his baby would come out alive and whole. After the successful surgery, he took Buddy home and spent all of Thanksgiving day and the days after nursing him back to health, but at least he’s recovering and finally on the mend.

Although the traumatic experience is now behind them, Benham and Buddy are still experiencing distress from the experience. Apparently, Buddy’s 350-pound attacker is quite tenacious, having come back to Benham’s property a few times since his first attack.


Benham gave his thoughts on why he believes the bear keeps coming back, saying, “It made an attack and had its food and it’s food got taken from it and it wants it back, I feel like.”

Benham explains that Buddy was a rescue that he got from an animal shelter a few years back, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Benham explained, “If it was your kid, what would you do? That’s my kid, I would die for my dog.”

While the California state wildlife agency has explained that black bears normally eat ants and other insects, they will also eat “whatever seems edible,” which is why they often sniff around houses and rummage through people’s garbage bins.

And the agency also advises that should anyone find themselves in the same predicament, “If you encounter a bear, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to appear as large as possible. If attacked, fight back. Do not ‘play dead’.”

 

 

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