A half-blind, 12-year-old dog fought off a bear that broke into her owner’s New Mexico home, leaving her with severe injuries.
Honey, who has now earned the title of “bear slayer,” was treated for “catastrophic” injuries following the brutal run-in in early March, during which she stopped the wild animal from attacking the family’s chickens.
“She is our little savior – she’s always been protective that way,” Honey’s owner, Denise Martinez told The Guardian Monday. “She risked her life to save not just the coop, but her family, from that bear.”
According to Martinez the bear, likely fresh out of hibernation and hungry, had approached their property in the Cordova community of New Mexico.
In an online Facebook post, Española Humane, the nonprofit shelter that treated Honey at its urgent care unit, said her injuries were noticeable even from a distance.
“The bear just [ripped off] the skin of her neck from below the collar to right under her chin,” Martinez said. “It was hard to look at – and it did not look like something Honey would be able to overcome.”
Honey was previously partially blinded from an encounter with a porcupine several years ago. That didn’t stop her facing down the bear.
“We’ll never know exactly how it unfolded in the dark of that night, but we know this: Honey stood her ground against something she had no business fighting,” Española Humane’s post read, adding that “her injuries were catastrophic.”
“She took the hits so no one else would have to, and she drove a predator away from everything she loves.” Surveillance video later showed that Honey had fended off the bear multiple times, the shelter said.
No chickens were harmed by the bear, nor were two horses also kept by the family. Despite her life-threatening wounds, Honey is now recovering.
The shelter added: “Honey didn’t just survive. She stood between her family and danger, and chose them—over and over again, even when it could have cost her everything. And because of her family’s love, a community who cares, and a little bit of Honey Badger badassery…this half blind sassy senior is still here.”
The post also noted that the “bear slayer” is still afraid of vacuum cleaners.
