(File: Getty)
(NEXSTAR) – A 61-year-old woman who survived a bear attack in Vermont over the weekend is crediting her Jack Russell terrier with their escape, according to Fish and Wildlife officials.
Susan Lee was walking the terrier and her labradoodle along a trail on her property in Strafford Saturday when the bear surprised her. She later told Game Warden Sergeant Jeffrey Whipple and Game Warden Kyle Isherwood that she had lost sight of her dogs and recalled them just before hearing a loud noise and seeing the bear charge at her.
Lee said she tripped on a stone wall, and then the bear was on top of her. When she felt pain in her upper left leg she knew the bear had bitten down on her.
The attack was cut short by her Jack Russell terrier, a breed that usually stands about 1 foot tall and weighs between 13 and 17 pounds.
“Ms. Lee stated that her Jack Russel terrier intervened by barking at the bear, which got off her and appeared to focus on the dog,” officials stated in a news release. Lee said she and the terrier managed to retreat down the trail and the bear took off in another direction. The labradoodle would make it home later, according to USA Today.
Whipple told the outlet that…
