I'm sorry. The dog was outside and was yelping? The man went to check what the dog was yelping about, and the dog jumped between him and the bear?

No offense, but that story sounds strange to me.

dreamgarden, It does'nt sound strange at all to me.It's not that uncommen a thing for a dog to do.
When my hound goes outside at night, i know everyone of his barks,a car,little animal,deer,or something threatening. I don't think he'd hesitate to get between me and a bear tho i pray he would,nt.
After he saved my life i would hire a jackhammer to bury him properly too.
Sorry, I just don't see what there is to not beleive.
maybe you can make yourself clearer and i could understand.
vickie

Dreamgarden was clear. The article was not.

He said he heard the dog yelping loudly Thursday after dark and went out to see what was happening.

Does that mean the dog was outside already, after dark? Maybe the dog was already under attack. Why else would it be "yelping loudly"? Dogs bark for certain reasons; they "yelp loudly" for other reasons. The dog was already being attacked by the bear because the dog was outside instead of in the house (hmmmmm) and the man walked into the situation where the bear was finishing off the poor dog.

Thanks for the article, Dreamgarden, but I don't think the article is very clear. Nice idea, though, to honor a dog because they love it.

We've had bears and wolves around the house this winter. When Maddie hears them, she goes nuts and wants to go get them. We usually walk with her around the yard, but when the wild animals were around we had to use the leash. A couple of times she went tearing off to the woods at full growl and it was all we could do to get her to come back. She wanted to tear into them to save her family.

Nothing a dog would do to warn or protect it's owner would suprise me. Unfortunetly it sounds like this dog was probably already under attack and when the owner went to see what was going on the bear most likely tried to protect what it considered it's prey (the dog). sounds like the dog tried to protect it's owner even though it most likely was already in a bad way.
Very sad situation, and dogs, and cats too for that matter out alone at night or even the day, obviously not in protected areas our targets for other creatures.

A dog yelping when something is wrong? Does not surprise me. Mine will yelp when she is excited about seeing a squirrel in the yard.
That dog is a hero.
Lorie

There was a show on animal planet or one of those where they showed hero dogs. One of them saved the owner from a bear and survived. So it would be the first time.

â wouldn't. â
would not be the first time. â

We have black bears around every summer. Bears are in hibernation in Wisconsin at this time of year. Also, black bears are afraid of dogs. (Unless of course they are injured or starving) My German Shepherd has treed ablack bear on our property. I had to go with a leash and get the dog so the BB could come down, then he ran the other way.

I am a bit skeptical of this story, too.

Linda

The only reason I'm not skeptical, is because my hound yelps over a lot of things. I can distinguish her yelps, between scared, hurt, or hunt mode. She rarely actually barks. A lot of hounds yelp often, so it doesn't surprise me a mixed hound dog, would yelp at something dangerous. I'm pretty sure thats what mine would do, all the while running in the opposite direction with her tail tucked, mind you!

My German Shepherd has treed a black bear on our property. I had to go with a leash and get the dog so the BB could come down, then he ran the other way.

LOL!!! Great story :)

Oooops! I guess I was thinking bears and wolves, I meant coyotes and wolves. Maddie's been calm a couple of weeks now, but before she'd go into a frenzy all day and night.

Maee saved Lilo from a Bob Cat once. The Bob Cat had taken a couple of our chickens so we made a wire cover for our hen house. I live where I can't see the hen house from my house but Maee wanted out and was barking. I opened the door and she ran toward Lilo's house. Lilo was just heading to the hen house to feed the chicken when Maee ran in front of her and pushed her back. She looked up there was the Bob Cat sitting on the roof of the chicken house, she would have walked under it. Maee then jumped up and made the Bob Cat run, she was gone 45 min. she must have treed it in the woods. Cat stayed away after that.

I should have said yelps also. It was a hound and my dog is a hound so yes they do yelp more than bark.I guess i call everything that comes out of his mouth a bark and he never growls.
So i apoligise for not being clear.
vickie