Max the Beagle saves owner from Bear, dies.

[White Out 403]

http://www.9and10news.com/story/2927...om-bear-attack

"Max never had a prayer against that bear. It was quick."

A beagle sacrificed his life to get between his owner and a charging, angry mother bear.

The dangerous encounter happened around 11:30 p.m. last night in Haring Township near Cadillac.

I thought this little Beagles bravery deserved a thread. I'm a dog lover I'll admit, and my whole family really is a beagle family so this is a double dose of onion chopping for me.

The TLDR version of this story, if you dont want the specifics (I wish I didn't watch the video) is that the owner of Max was outside when charged by an aggressive momma bear with her cubs. Max threw himself right into the bear in an attempt to fight it but, of course, was killed by the angry bear. This gave the owner time though to retreat back to his house, before trying to scare the bear away to get it off Max by throwing some random ceramic crap.

Max had to be put down from his injuries.

[Cain]

Dog are the greatest companion one could ask for. They are more "work" and "hassle" compared to many other pets but put me firmly in the dog camp.

The unswerving loyalty and love most of them exhibit is admirable.

[Igster]

RIP Max. Brave little dog.

Edit: I should add (even though I didn't want to admit it - this story brought a tear to my eye, as my wife and I put down our beloved Max not even a year ago). Common dog name, but hearing that name again and reading this story choked me up.

[Coach]

Not ashamed to say this story made me cry. What a brave puppy, the little guy is a hero.

Getting a dog changed my life for the better and I wouldn't trade my buddy for anything. I pray I never have to witness anything like this and my heart goes out to the owners who are no doubt devastated but proud.

Rest in peace, Max. You did good, beautiful fuzzy man.

[Erick Estrada]

There's a reason dogs are referred to as "man's best friend".

[Envitro]

I can relate to this story a little bit, the outcome was much better but back in about 1998 when out in Kananaskis my mom and her friend were walking our dogs and they came up on a large Grizzly bear. They started to turn away and the bear started chasing them down, and that's when they ran. Our dog (black standard poodle) rushed and barked at the grizzly then ran away from my mom and her friend and drew the bear away from them, giving them a chance to come back to the camp!

My mom and her friend made it back to the cabin but our dog was nowhere to be found. He was missing for a few hours and we assumed the worst. However he just showed up at the cabin and was on the back porch clawing to get back in. Not a scratch on him!

Dogs are the best, and not just because of stories like this. Stuff like this just helps show how amazing, loving, and loyal they are.

[Coach]

^^^ That is incredible. I can't imagine how much love that dog got when it came back.

[Envitro]

Yeah, he got lots of love that's for sure. Everyone praised him and said how heroic he was, but honestly I think he was just following his instincts. I'm to this day still shocked that he outran a grizzly but the thing must have given up. He was a very fast dog though...

Really sad to hear about Max the Beagle. It's too bad that he succumbed to his injuries but he saved his owner.

[verda13]

The love dogs have for their owners is incredible. I'm reminded of the quote, 'Wanna know who loves you more? Put your spouse and your dog in the trunk of a car and drive around for an hour. When you open the trunk, who's happy to see you?'

[Reaper]

I know what you mean about your family being a beagle family. Whenever you hear about your dog's breed the news is always so much more relevant or has more impact.

We're a Dachshund family and stories like this turn my house into an onion processing facility.

[Dion]

Growing up we had a Black Lab named Big John. We were camping in the Rogers Pass and sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows when Big John heard some rustling and stood motionless staring into the bushes. Dad looked behind to see 2 eyes glowing in the dark that belonged to a black bear. Before he could grab the dog by the collar Big John ran off barking and in hot pursuit of the bear. Dad quickly grabbed the flashlight and took up the chase.. By following the barking sounds he eventually found our dog at the base of a tree with the bear halfway up. He said he had a terrible time getting the dog away from the tree.

The next morn the Ranger came by saying other campers were complaining about a dog barking late at night and wondered if we knew what was going on.

[Buckwheat's barber]

My apology for taking this thread on a slightly different path, but I thought the dog lovers would be interested in a dog's perspective of his friendship and life with his owner. The video (Denali) is very well done...

http://www.littlethings.com/denali-dog-love-story/