A dog put herself in extreme danger to rescue her canine companion when two bears approached her home recently in Florida.
Marion, who is a pit bull mix, was in her backyard with her “boyfriend” Bruno, who is a chiweenie, when the incident happened, Newsweek reported Monday.
As the pair were enjoying each other’s company, two bears entered the area and one of them lunged at Bruno.
However, Marion was quick to react and save her friend, according to Claire Samford, who is a Referral Coordinator at the Emergency Vet Clinic of Niceville and Destin.
Samford explained that Marion took on the pair of wild animals and was attacked. Although she suffered bites on her neck and face, Marion lived through the ordeal and was transported to their clinic.
The clinic shared a video of Marion, who appears to be recovering after treatment. The clip also showed her napping with Bruno, who belongs to a friend of her owner:
Social media users shared their thoughts on her incredible bravery, one person writing, “Dogs really are angels on earth. I just wanna give her a big hug.”
“It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight; it’s about the size of the fight in the dog. What a beautiful little hero!” someone else wrote.
The Newsweek report said black bears do live in Florida, then quoted Samford as saying, “We do see our fair share of bear attacks at our Emergency Vet Clinic in Florida around this time of year, but the fact that Marion risked her life for her Chiweenie boyfriend made this story stand out and really melted our hearts.”
Humans have had to protect their dogs from bears as well, as was the case with a California teenager in 2021. When a bear tried to enter her backyard and get near her dogs, she pushed it away and rescued her pets.
In 2023, a Maine woman punched a bear in the face to rescue her beloved dog, according to Breitbart News.
Marion is not the only dog to have exhibited bravery in the past few years. In 2020, a couple was hiking with their Yorkshire terrier in South Dakota when they encountered a rattlesnake, per Breitbart News.
At first, the couple did not notice the snake, but their dog, Bear, did and was bitten. The snake would have attacked one of its owners had the dog not stepped between them. Bear later recovered from the bite.
