Hero Dog Dies Protecting Rest Of Pack From Black Bear

GREENWOOD LAKE, NY — A Hudson Valley pet sitting company is hailing one dog a hero after it suffered fatal injuries fending off a bear, which allowed them to get other dogs to safety. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Me & My Shadow Pet Sitters recounted the harrowing encounter saying they were hiking on Monday morning when they accidentally startled a black bear.

"It must not have heard or smelled us with the pouring rain," the post said. "It felt threatened and turned around."

That's when one of the older dogs, Pete, stepped up. Pete held off the bear until they could get the rest of the dogs to safety.

"Once I was sure they were safe, I went back and scared the bear off, but Pete was gravely injured," the post said.

They moved Pete to the main trail, put him into a car and rushed him to a hospital.

"He held on like a real trooper the whole time, and he was never alone in his pain," the post said.

But there was nothing doctors could do. X-ray tests showed Pete suffered major spinal damage. Even if he survived multiple surgeries he would never walk again, the post said.

Pete died on Monday afternoon.

"Run free Pete, you no longer have all those aches and pains of old age," the post said. "You had a great 18 months with us running the days away like you loved."

The company asked its followers to light a candle for their beloved animal.

"Love you Petey. Save me some cheese for when we see each other again," the post said.

On Tuesday, the company posted on Facebook that they would give back all the attention they've received on social media attention for just one more day with Pete.

"I think all of you know how much we love our dogs and all the animals that we care for so please squeeze your furry family tight tonight and give them a big kiss from 'the lady,'" the Facebook post said.

Patch has reached out to the company for details and will update when we hear back.

Below is an account from my husband of yesterdays pack walk. "Today we lost our brave, old man Pete. The dogs surprised a black bear just off the trail while we were hiking this morning. It must not have heard or smelled us with the pouring rain. It felt threatened and turned around. Pete stepped up and held off the bear until I could get the other dogs to safety. Once I was sure they were safe, I went back and scared the bear off, but Pete was gravely injured. I was able to get him back down to the main trail and, thanks to Cathi and Kate, we were able to get him in a car and to the hospital pretty quickly. He held on like a real trooper the whole time, and he was never alone in his pain. The x-rays revealed some pretty bad spinal damage that would mean he could never walk again, if he survived all the surgeries (not a certain thing at his age). We decided it was best to let him go this afternoon. Run free Pete, you no longer have all those aches and pains of old age. You had a great 18 months with us running the days away like you loved." Please light a candle for Pete and remember that fostering and rescuing a dog can sometimes save you. Senior dogs have so much to give. Love you Petey. Save me some cheese for when we see each other again.
A post shared by Me & My Shadow Pets (@mmspets) on Feb 12, 2018 at 1:16pm PST

Photo credit: Michael Smith/Newsmakers via Getty Images