Wiener Dog Credited With Saving Men from Bear Attack
Dachshunds were originally bred in Germany to help flush out the badgers from their dens underground. They were bred to be low and long so that they could easily go into the den. They also had to be quite fearless because the badger is well equipped with very deadly long claws. Those who have dachshunds as pets will quickly attest to their fearlessness.
Michigan is a beautiful state with lots of wilderness and of course there are bears too. Recently two men from downstate were visiting their friend in Comins, MI in Oscoda County. They took a golf cart out into the woods and Bradley the dachshund rode along with them.
As they rode along, they unknowingly came upon a large bear who was only feet away from them. Mike Hodges, who had suffered a stroke just three weeks before, says he and his friend Jeremy, didn't notice the bear right away. Both men believe the bear was startled by them and was just trying to protect its cubs.
But when the bear reacted against them, Bradley the dachshund simply reacted to protect the two men he had only just met that day. According to Bradley's owner, John Force, "I think when Brad saw it, he did what he would normally do, jumped right off it and went at it. I wouldn't have ran after that bear with a knife as big as I am, and little Brad only 4- 5 pounds- he don't have a filter for fear."
Bradley jumped off the golf cart and attacked the bear, but then the bear grabbed the dachshund and took off. The bear started running through the woods with two other bears following her. The two men eventually scared the bear away with a stick and loud noises. They then raced with Bradley back to the house, and he was rushed to an animal hospital, where sadly he didn't survive.
John considers his dog a hero, credited with saving the lives of the two men caught off guard by the bear. "He was a warrior. If he would have died any other way than that, you know, it was a noble death the way I look at it. Mike being in the medical condition he's in, I don't think he would have been alert enough to get away from the bear. I think Brad did save them from getting mauled at least," said John.
John and his family are very proud of what their little dog did to save his friends that day. "It ain't the size of the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog that counts, and that sums it up for Bradley."
Dachshunds were originally bred in Germany to help flush out the badgers from their dens underground. They were bred to be low and long so that they could easily go into the den. They also had to be quite fearless because the badger is well equipped with very deadly long claws. Those who have dachshunds as pets will quickly attest to their fearlessness.
Michigan is a beautiful state with lots of wilderness and of course there are bears too. Recently two men from downstate were visiting their friend in Comins, MI in Oscoda County. They took a golf cart out into the woods and Bradley the dachshund rode along with them.
As they rode along, they unknowingly came upon a large bear who was only feet away from them. Mike Hodges, who had suffered a stroke just three weeks before, says he and his friend Jeremy, didn't notice the bear right away. Both men believe the bear was startled by them and was just trying to protect its cubs.
But when the bear reacted against them, Bradley the dachshund simply reacted to protect the two men he had only just met that day. According to Bradley's owner, John Force, "I think when Brad saw it, he did what he would normally do, jumped right off it and went at it. I wouldn't have ran after that bear with a knife as big as I am, and little Brad only 4- 5 pounds- he don't have a filter for fear."
Bradley jumped off the golf cart and attacked the bear, but then the bear grabbed the dachshund and took off. The bear started running through the woods with two other bears following her. The two men eventually scared the bear away with a stick and loud noises. They then raced with Bradley back to the house, and he was rushed to an animal hospital, where sadly he didn't survive.
John considers his dog a hero, credited with saving the lives of the two men caught off guard by the bear. "He was a warrior. If he would have died any other way than that, you know, it was a noble death the way I look at it. Mike being in the medical condition he's in, I don't think he would have been alert enough to get away from the bear. I think Brad did save them from getting mauled at least," said John.
John and his family are very proud of what their little dog did to save his friends that day. "It ain't the size of the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog that counts, and that sums it up for Bradley."
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What a shame the wee mite didn't survive :(
They Are Brave Little Dogs!I Feel So Sorry That He Did Not survive !!
Didn't expect that ending. It's a shame the little dog had to lose his life protecting 2 men that probably shouldn't have been where they were in the first place.
RIP Bradley. You are a true hero.
Poor little guy, I'm crying. So sad he didn't make it. I have 4 and yes, they have no fear, which sometimes is not a good thing. Still crying. My heart goes out to the owners.
R.I.P. Bradly. :(
A true hero.
I didnt expect that ending either...how sad... :(
A noble death indeed. To even consider taking on a foe that is at least 100 times his size is remarkable. Maybe we as humans should take on cruelty to animals with as much zeal as Bradly did with the bear.
R.I.P Brad you are a true Hero!