Caught on camera: Family's dog fends off bear in Sullivan County

It was the family's first time seeing a bear at their home since moving to the area a year ago.

Diane Caruso

May 15, 2024, 9:47 PM

Updated 33 days ago

Share:

Home surveillance camera footage showed a dog protecting its family's home in Bloomingburg from a bear earlier this week.
The video shows Octavia, a 50-pound, 3-year-old German shepherd and husky mix, outside on a leash when it barked at the animal for a few seconds before the bear turned away.
"I just look at my dog every day and I'm like.. 'You just stood up to a bear like three days ago, like do you even know what you did?'" said pet owner Brittani Byrum in a Zoom interview Wednesday.
The surveillance system alerted her boyfriend about the movement then they heard the dog barking.
"He goes to get her, and I guess simultaneously had the camera pulled up on his phone and he was like 'Oh my God. there's a huge bear outside.' and I was like 'You're lying to me.'" described Byrum. "He pulled up the camera and I am shook. And it was not a small bear as you saw. She was so nonchalant, barking at this bear, like 'Hey, get off my lawn.'''
It was the family's first time seeing a bear at their home since moving to the area a year ago.
"I think it just goes to say that a dog is man's best friend," said Byrum. "She's not a very big dog. She's like 50 to 60 pounds. But...they will defend you when they feel that their home is being threatened, and that was really cool to see."


More from News 12