Dog Fights Off Bear That Charged Six-Year-Old Boy: "Incredible Bravery"

A Connecticut family is calling their husky mix a hero after she chased off a black bear that ran straight at their six-year-old son at their Torrington home on July 4, the New York Post reported. The dramatic encounter was captured on the family's security camera. The footage shows the boy, Colton Tazzara, playing in his front yard when a black bear charges up the driveway toward him. The boy freezes and braces for impact.

Before the bear can reach Colton, Bella, the family's pet, sprints into frame. She cuts off the bear just as it's about to make contact, nipping at its tail and rear end to pull it away.

Startled, the bear tries to run away, slides underneath a boat parked in the driveway, then scurries between the houses and into the woods.

Colton runs to safety as Bella continues to escort the bear off the property. Click here to watch the video.

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"Different kind of bark"

Colton's father, Jeffrey Tazzara, was loading the car when he heard Bella. "A vicious bark, not like she barks and yips and howls and stuff... this was a different kind of bark," he told ABC News.

"[S]he bit it in the rear end, and the bear ended up crashing into my boat, and then I think [it] scurried under the boat and then through the back between the houses and into the woods," Tazzara told the outlet.

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Jeffrey checked Bella head to paw after the incident, and said that there's no "scratch on her". She showed a "big smile and a wagging tail".

On July 17, Bella was recognised by local officials for her actions. State Senator Stephen Harding praised her "incredible bravery" in chasing down the black bear.

"Stories like hers remind us of the remarkable bond between families and their pets and the incredible acts of heroism that can happen in our own communities," Harding said in a Facebook post. "Connecticut is proud to call you one very good dog!"