Woman fends off attacking bear to save her dog

Karen Curran defended her dog from a bear attack

Two mothers clashed while protecting their families at a home in Northampton, Massachusetts on Wednesday night. A 9-year-old Golden Retriever named Lily was attacked by a mother black bear when the dog approached the bear's cub at the Curran family home. The lucky dog was saved by the brave actions of her owner, Karen Curran, who grabbed hold of a toy sword and brandished it at the mother bear.

Lilly survived a bear attack

Karen and her family were heading out to the car at 8:30 pm with Lilly leading the way, when Karen saw a small black shape near their porch. Lilly spotted it too and chased after it. The black shape turned out to be one of two bear cubs. That's when the mother bear appeared, running to the defense of its baby. "The bear was on top of (Lilly) and had its mouth on her neck," said Karen.

Karen was just four feet away, with her 12-year-old son, Pete behind her, she told the Republican. She grabbed the closest thing to her - a wooden toy sword - and began waving it in the air, yelling and screaming.

Husband Joe Curran was inside with their other son Sam when he heard the screams. "As soon as we got out there, I saw the bear was already on top of Lilly," Joe Curran told WSHM News. A nearby neighbor also heard the screams and called 911.

Karen continued to yell and banged the sword against a stone wall near their home. The commotion appeared to work and the mother bear stopped attacking Lilly.

"When the bear let go of the dog it definitely glanced at me," Karen said. The mother and her two cubs then fled.

Toy sword Curran used to fend off bear "That bear would have killed my dog if I wasn't there," Karen said.

The family rushed to Lilly's side. "We put paper towels on her neck to try and stop the bleeding," said Sam, age 11. They took Lilly to an emergency veterinary clinic and treated for the puncture wounds to her neck and head.

She was very lucky, as the bear's teeth were only half an inch from killing her. "If the bear had held on, Lilly might not have made it," said Joe. "I was really excited to see that she was doing well," added Sam.

The Currans plan to bear-proof the outside of their home to discourage the bears from returning. Lilly is expected to fully recover.