Family dog honored after protecting boy from charging bear
Local leaders honored Bella the husky mix "for her bravery."
A Connecticut dog who defended a child against a charging bear earlier this month has been officially recognized for her bravery.
State officials in Connecticut presented Jeffrey Tazzara's husky mix Bella with a legislative honor on Friday.
"Today I had the honor to join State Sen. Stephen Harding in presenting a legislative honor to Bella the Husky, for protecting the [Tazzara] family from a bear attack earlier this month," state Rep. Joe Canino of Torrington wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. "Bella was rewarded for her bravery with a legislative citation, and some treats!"
He noted that bear encounters in the state "have been ramping up significantly in recent months," adding that he and other officials would "continue to promote proper bear management" moving forward.
Bella's act of bravery took place July 4. Tazzara told ABC News previously that he was packing up and getting ready to depart for a Fourth of July party at the time when he heard Bella barking.
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"A vicious bark, not like she barks and yips and howls and stuff ... this was a different kind of bark," he said.
Video from Tazzara's home security system, licensed by Storyful, shows Tazzara's young son standing in the driveway outside the family home when a black bear suddenly appears, running toward the child at a high speed.
As the child backs away, Bella can be seen running over from across the yard and chasing the bear away, circling behind the animal and placing herself between the bear and Tazzara's son.
The bear, seemingly frightened, quickly turns away from the boy and continues running, sliding under a boat parked in the driveway.
Tazzara said previously that he planned to reward Bella for her bravery with a steak at the next family steak night.
He added that she had a pretty good setup already and "gets tons of treats."
"She lives the life probably that most dogs wish they had," he said at the time, adding, "She just, she does what she wants."
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