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Black bear next to a Yorkshire terrier
There aren’t many animals that have the ability to hold their own against a bear. That’s certainly the case with Yorkshire terriers, but that didn’t stop one in North Carolina from going after an invader in its backyard and made the furry intruder look absolutely foolish while chasing it away.
Most dog owners wonder how their pet will react in a situation where they find themselves in danger. You obviously hope they’ll live up to the “Man’s Best Friend” label by heroically rising to the occasion and attempting to defend you at all costs, but in a perfect world, you’ll never get an answer to that question.
However, I’ve come across a number of stories involving people who did so after having an encounter with a bear, which was the case with one homeowner outside of Asheville, North Carolina.
The dog in question was particularly ill-equipped to go paw-to-paw with the mammal that made its way into their yard, but he certainly earned some treats based on his ability to protect his turf.
A tiny dog made a black bear scramble up a tree before chasing it out of a yard in North Carolina
North Carolina is home to approximately 20,000 black bears, including some notably hefty mammals that roam farms and wetlands in the eastern part of the state. That region houses the bulk of the population, although there are also plenty to be found in the vicinity of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the western side near the Tennessee border.
That’s where the town of Bent Creek is located, and according to ABC News, one of those bears recently made its way into the yard of a home owned by John and KC Murdoch. They have a Yorkshire terrier named Benny, and it is safe to say he was not thrilled to discover the animal had made its way onto the property last week.
Benny’s owner told the outlet the terrier “goes after any animal in our yard regardless of size,” and that was the case with the bear in question, which was clearly not expecting the reception it got as it frantically attempted to climb up a tree to avoid Benny’s wrath before fleeing over a fence.
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Well done, Benny. Well done.