SIMSBURY, CT (WFSB) - A West Hartford woman fought off a bear that attacked her dog near Talcott Mountain.
That June day was just like any other for Kayleigh Roy and Phoenix, a 10-year-old Pitbull mix.
“We go on this hike all the time,” said Kayleigh Roy. “Just the way she was looking and I was like, oh no, something is weird.”
This was when Kayleigh ran down to Phoenix to see what was wrong.
“I look back up and there is a mama bear and two cubs. The five of us are just staring at each other,” said Kayleigh.
She said the cubs went for her dog.
“I grabbed her collar, it rips off, her flea collar, it rips off,” added Roy.
Then, the mama bear came in.
“The bear got the upper hand. She ended up dragging my dog into the woods by her neck. The whole time I was absolutely losing mind,” she said.
Kayleigh said she froze for a second, but then quickly sprang into action.
“I really did think to myself, am I about to have an encounter with a wild animal and risk my life for a 10-year-old dog? And I was like, yes. This cannot be our last memory together.”
Kayleigh said mid-attack, she smacked the bear in the face with her backpack that just had a water bottle and keys inside.
“It made such a loud noise and she popped up... It was crazy to be that close to a bear, but she just stared at me and then backed off,” Kayleigh explained.
She said she picked up her 65 pond dog, who was bleeding and badly hurt, and tried to carry her a mile back to the car.
Kayleigh rushed Phoenix to the vet. After treatment, she was expected to be okay.
“They were prepping us for the worst, but somehow, it’s a long road to recovery. She can’t walk up or down stairs, the damage was pretty extensive,” Kayleigh said.
There have been hundreds of bear sightings in recent years. Most of them happened in the western part of the state.
But DEEP said last year, bears were spotted in 159 of the 169 towns in Connecticut.
Kayleigh said she spends plenty of time outside, but this is the first time she has ever come across a bear.
“I’m just so grateful to be okay and that my dog is okay,” Kayleigh added.
She said the medical bills for Phoenix will cost thousands of dollars.
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