Dog and Homeowner Attacked by a Bear in Litchfield

According to FOX61, a homeowner in Litchfield and his dog were attacked by a mama bear in Litchfield on Saturday, July 1st. The couple's dog, Cooper went after the bear, so the bear did not attack the dog.

The owner, Dave Monscshein, ran after Cooper because the bear began attacking the dog. Mrs. Monscshein told FOX61, “Somehow, he got the bear off Cooper, and he was like, kind of behind a tree trying to protect himself because she was trying to protect herself and scratched Dave up, she didn't bite by Dave at all,” 

In fact she went on to say that after the encounter, "Dave walked by the bear to get to the house and the bear just looked at him." They believe that the mama bear was just trying to protect her cubs.

Mrs. Monscshein told FOX61 that her husband's hand "is pretty messed up." He had multiple scratches, a puncture would to the body and possible fractures in his hand. Their dog Cooper was taken to the vet and had to undergo surgery and Dave went to the hospital to get stitched up. They are both back home and expect to make full recoveries.

In response to the attack, DEEP followed it up with this notice:

Birdfeeders should not be up from late March through November while bears are active. Birdfeeders, along with trashcans, are one of leading causes of bear conflicts and damage reports that DEEP receives across the state. Food attractants such as birdfeeders around peoples’ homes are a gateway to bears associating humans with food sources, which leads to more dangerous behaviors such as home entries, which can lead to bad outcomes for both humans and bears.This holiday weekend, DEEP urges residents to take caution if grilling or enjoying food outside. Clean barbecue grills after use, and store grills inside a garage or shed. Don’t leave food or trash bags out unattended. Store garbage in secure, airtight containers inside a garage or other enclosed storage area.