‘I did it for my dog’: Florida man protecting dachshunds from bear attack speaks out

DAYTONA Beach, Fla. — A violent encounter with a bear was not more than enough to scare off Walt Hickox, who captured the tense experience on digicam just exterior his Daytona Beach doorstep Wednesday.

Hickox stated he was letting his a few dachshunds, named Pickles, Pepper and Piper, out of the dwelling to scare off some “cats.” when came face to facial area with a bear.

“Apparently, it wasn’t a cat that they were being after due to the fact they went, ‘alright, that facet is clear.’ That’s when the bear arrived out,” Hickox mentioned.

The bear leaned around a smaller gate to snag Pickles when Hickox swore and leaped into motion.

“I just required to deflect the stress off the pet dog prolonged sufficient for him to recognize, ‘hey, there’s a human in here way too,’” Hickox stated.

Battle, not flight was Hickox’s break up-2nd decision.

He plunged straight into a battle to get the bear’s attention on him alternatively of Pickles. Hickox reported, “I clapped, and I was screaming,” introducing, “there was a portion of time exactly where the bear sat up and kicked his head to the facet like, ‘what are you screaming about.’”

The bear backed off but Hickox under no circumstances did.

“When I experienced time to just sit and stare, it all strike me. And I started out bawling,” Hickox claimed. “I could not feel how shut to loss of life I was. And I did it for my puppy.”

He reported he did it for the reason that he enjoys Pickles, Pepper and Piper. Since of Hickox, they’ll be around for a even though more time to like him back again.

“I really do not have any young children and my wife’s kids are absent. We received with each other in 2006. We bought them soon immediately after. And that was our… that was our relatives,” Hickox claimed.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation responded to the home and has because set a bear trap in the neighborhood. Considering the fact that the bear attacked a particular person, a spokesman reported, if captured, the bear will be euthanized.

Hickox advised WESH 2 News he doesn’t want something undesirable to transpire to the bear, but he also does not want anyone to be in danger.

FWC claimed if a black bear assaults, individuals should really combat again aggressively as Hickox did.