A Canadian man is recovering in an Ontario hospital after that left his dog dead and most of his skull exposed to the public. Joe Azougar, 30, was relaxing at his remote cabin, about 10 kilometers south of Cochrane, when a bear emerged from the woods and attempted to eat him.
In an act of unparalleled canine bravery, Azougar’s dog engaged the onrushing bear in combat, allowing his owner to flee to the safety of the cabin. However, the nightmare was far from over as the cabin proved to be insufficient protection from :
Moments later, the bear, having killed the dog, was back at the cabin.
“He started rushing the window, breaking the window and chipping off wood beside the window,” said Azougar.
“He made it through (the window) and I ran out,” he said. The bear followed him out.
“After about 30 metres, he took me to the ground.” Azougar said the animal slammed him down with its front paws and began clawing and biting.
“He knocked me down and I covered my head. He took my shoulder apart, then he peeled the skin off my head and started biting my skull,” Azougar remembered. “I could feel his teeth rubbing against my skull. That was the worst feeling ever. I jammed my thumb into his eye and so he went back to my shoulder.”
Fortunately, two nearby campers heard Azougar’s screams from their car and hurried to the scene in their vehicle, where they were able to scare off the bear with their car horn. The two women drove Azougar to a nearby hospital where he received over 300 stitches.
Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources later confirmed that the bear was hunted down and killed.