Pine Bush family shares chilling bear attack video after dog is mauled in backyard
Cayman, a 101-pound pit bull mix, underwent emergency surgery after his owners say a black bear attacked him just feet from their home.
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A Pine Bush family is sharing chilling home surveillance video after they say a black bear brutally attacked their dog in their backyard, leaving the animal with serious injuries that required emergency surgery.
The attack happened around 8:30 p.m. last Thursday as Lauren Maresca was getting her family ready for bed.
Maresca says she took her 101-pound mixed-breed pit bull, Cayman, outside, something she routinely does before turning in for the night. She says Cayman had gone ahead of her into the yard when she noticed something was wrong.
“He put his head up and started barking,” Maresca recalled. “The bear just came charging through the woods.”
A living room nanny camera captured the terrifying moments that followed.
In the video, Maresca can be heard screaming as she realizes a black bear is attacking Cayman in the backyard. Her husband, Mount Hope Police Chief Michael Maresca, is seen rushing to help as she yells for him to get his gun.
According to Maresca, the attack unfolded in seconds.
“The bear got him by the head and flipped him over,” she said. “He’s 101 pounds and that bear flipped him like he was a ragdoll.”
Maresca says she grabbed a nearby piece of lumber and threw rocks in an attempt to stop the attack, but nothing worked.
“It was the scariest moment of my life,” she said. “He couldn’t fight back. He’s a strong dog, but the bear was no match for him.”
She says the bear pinned Cayman to the ground and repeatedly clawed and bit him.
“The bear had his head in his mouth and it used its back claws to hold my dog down,” Maresca said. “The claw sliced him open. He has puncture wounds all over his head from where the bear had him in his mouth.”
Photos and video shared with News 12 show extensive injuries, including a large gash stretching across Cayman’s upper body and multiple puncture wounds to his head.
Maresca says her husband eventually fired a warning shot from his handgun after the bear dragged Cayman toward the woods.
“The bear dragged him out to the wood line, so he shot and the bear just disappeared,” she said.
The family rushed Cayman to a veterinarian, where he underwent emergency surgery. He later required a second procedure to drain an infection.
“Today is his best day,” Maresca said during an interview on Wednesday. “He’s been bad.”
While Cayman is expected to recover, the emotional impact remains.
“My daughter’s traumatized,” Maresca said. “She’s afraid to come out in the yard.”
The family says they have seen bears near their property before, including around a chicken coop and garbage area. Maresca believes the animal involved may have been the same mother bear she saw earlier that day with two cubs.
The experience has changed how the family views its own backyard.
“We are scared,” Maresca said. “I grew up in the woods and we’re always told to make noise, make yourself look big and the bears are going to run. They’re more afraid of you. This bear, we were here minding our business.”
Now, the family hopes sharing the video will help prevent another attack.
“Don’t leave your dog or your kids unattended outside,” Maresca said. “Always be out with them. Be aware.”
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says black bear encounters can increase during the warmer months.
