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Seminole County, FL - A Florida woman and her dog narrowly escaped a bear attack after she distracted the animal by hitting it with a bag of cookies.
Kristen Savage was walking her dog, Ringo, around 8 p.m. Friday in the Sylvan Lake Reserve neighborhood of Seminole County when a bear allegedly approached them from behind.
Savage said the bear lunged at Ringo, grabbing for him repeatedly.
Savage tried to protect her dog by lifting him into the air, but whenever she tried to put Ringo down, the bear would allegedly attack again.
At one point, Savage said the bear had Ringo in its mouth.
While struggling to defend her dog, Savage fell to the ground, putting her in a vulnerable position.
“My brain told me to get up and make myself big," she told WESH 2 News.
She waved her arms and shouted, briefly causing the bear to back off but the bear quickly charged again.
Thinking fast, Savage remembered she had a bag of cookies her mother had given her.
She hit the bear with the bag and threw it, distracting the animal long enough for her and Ringo to escape.
Fortunately, Ringo was not injured, though Savage suffered scrapes from her fall.
Savage said the bear, who has been seen multiple times in the neighborhood, may have been protecting her cubs.
She urged others to carry something like an air horn or spray when walking in areas where bears are known to roam.
Authorities have not reported any action taken against the bear.