Let’s face it–little dogs just don’t get any respect. Often times, they are referred to as being “yappy,” “meaning,” “silly,” “too girly,” and, sometimes even “divas.” While we’ve always known in our hearts that miniature pups are most definitely worth their incessant barking and haughty behavior, admittedly, we never quite thought of them as being “heroes” either.

Well, that was until we heard the tale of Pickle, the bravest little doggy in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Believe it or not, Pickle, who was a toy poodle that weighed in at a whopping 5 pounds, actually managed to save her entire family when a 150 to 200-pound bear made its way into Tiffany Merrill’s home. The little guy did this by jumping in front of the intruder, which lead to a violent attack. He sacrificed his own life so that Tiffany and her kiddos could escape safely.

Once the homeowner was able to vacate the house, she got Pickle to the vet as quickly as she could, but the poor, little dog didn’t survive through surgery.

After the horrifying incident went down, Tiffany took to Facebook to update her friends and family on the unwelcome home intruder. She wrote:

I open the door to let my dog out to use the bathroom this morning. A bear come hauling a** in my house my dog jumped in front of me to save my life. I was screaming for my kids to close the doors. I fell getting away from from the bear I have a sprained ankle my back is sore but I am okay. Please say a prayer for my dog my mom coming to come to reach. I just can’t believe this happened. Update he was a toy poodle who weighed 5 pounds. He did not make it he died saving my life.

And, some time after poor Tiffany was finished reeling from the disturbing experience, she divulged even more info about the situation–including a rumor about a neighbor’s major misstep.

A rumor was one of my neighbors has been feeding the Bears. I’ve always enjoyed looking at the Bears have always fascinated me. People need to be more aware how about they actually are. I have seen hundreds of bears but none have ever done anything like this. 

In an article published in the Charlotte Observer, Colleen Olfenbuttel, a state black bear biologist, weighed in on the bear-feeding theory, saying that she has seen an uptick in activity because of the misdeed.

“…the commission has received an increase in reports regarding bear sightings and would like to remind the public not to feed bears, intentionally or unintentionally,” Olfenbuttel said. “It trains them to approach homes and people for food, which risks their safety and the public’s safety.“

Talk about a crazy story! It just goes to show you that doggies–even the littlest of ones!–will do anything they can to keep their humans safe. What did we do to deserve these loyal creatures?!

To hear more about the harrowing bear encounter from the homeowner who lives to tell the nightmare, be sure to watch the video below. Pickle will sure be missed!

We’d love to hear your take on this unbelievable bear attack out of North Carolina. Are you surprised that a bear would enter a residence? Do you think the homeowner reacted property? How do you keep bears out of your property?