An Alaskan woman has described how she shot a bear three times to save her dog after it was mauled during a mushroom foraging trip near Skilak Lake, in an encounter that left the animal badly injured but alive.
Lori Price, of Cooper Landing, was out with her two dogs, Willis and Chaos, on Sunday when she heard Chaos yelp and immediately realised what was happening. “I heard the yip, and I heard the bear, and I registered what was going on,” she told KTUU. “My sudden reaction was, I got to get to my dog, and I got to get to my dog now.”
Price began screaming Chaos’s name at the top of her lungs, but when that failed to stop the attack, she drew her 9mm pistol and fired at the bear, which immediately collapsed. “I was like: ‘Okay, good, lights out,'” she said.
Moments later, Chaos reappeared covered in blood but still moving. “I could see his head pop out, then all of a sudden, there’s this bloody mess,” Price said. “I was like: ‘But you know what? He’s alive.'” Her relief was short-lived, however, as the bear began moving towards them again. Price was forced to shoot it a second and then a third time, with the animal getting back up after each shot. At that point, Price and her dogs fled the area without confirming whether the bear had been killed. As they made their escape, she glanced back and saw the animal moving off in a different direction.
On the way to her car, Price called 911 and flagged down a passing vehicle to alert others to what had happened. Police later advised her to get Chaos to a vet immediately given the amount of blood he had lost. “It was like the bear thought he was like a little sardine,” she said.
Price took Chaos to Kenai Veterinary Hospital before returning to the wooded area to speak with police and officials from Alaska Fish and Game. Chaos was discharged later that night, and Price credited the veterinary team with saving her dog’s life. “I owe him my dog’s life,” she told KTUU. Chaos is continuing to recover and has since regained the ability to walk. “He is really lucky to be alive today,” Price said.
