A senior dog passed away while protecting his human family from a bear attack.
Pete, his family, and some other dogs were hiking when a bear suddenly appeared. But before the massive animal could attack them, Pete decided to step in while others ran to safety.
The English Setter’s owner, Ben, went back to get Pete back but he was severely injured. Pete’s family members were so grateful for his heroic actions that his story went viral on social media. Many people praised him and sent messages of condolences.
Ben wrote a heartfelt Instagram post about Pete. He called the pooch ‘our brave, old man.’
“Today we lost our brave, old man Pete. The dogs surprised a black bear just off the trail while we were hiking this morning. It must not have heard or smelled us with the pouring rain. It felt threatened and turned around. Pete stepped up and held off the bear until I could get the other dogs to safety.
“Once I was sure they were safe, I went back and scared the bear off, but Pete was gravely injured. I was able to get him back down to the main trail and, thanks to Cathi and Kate, we were able to get him in a car and to the hospital pretty quickly.
“He held on like a real trooper the whole time, and he was never alone in his pain. The x-rays revealed some pretty bad spinal damage that would mean he could never walk again, if he survived all the surgeries (not a certain thing at his age).
“We decided it was best to let him go this afternoon. Run free Pete, you no longer have all those aches and pains of old age. You had a great 18 months with us running the days away like you loved.
“Please light a candle for Pete and remember that fostering and rescuing a dog can sometimes save you. Senior dogs have so much to give. Love you Petey. Save me some cheese for when we see each other again.”
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Replaced!