Dog News

“Voluptuous” Frika’s Fat Saved Her From Bear Attack

by Amy Drew

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Frika clearly loves her biscuits. And probably more than that when owner Eric Yaughn allows. Which, sorry Frika, is probably too often. She’s a tad plump.

But this little fatty, a 12-year-old miniature pinscher, had the last laugh because it’s likely that her fondness for eating saved her from being eaten herself!

Frika and her owner were outside when he spotted a bear outside his Altamonte Springs, FL, home. Before he could manage to scoop his pup up, the bold animal was upon them.

“What seemed like a nano second, it was right up on us! And I hollered for her to come on and I start to run and I hear her yelp out in pain,” Yaughn told 7News.

He thought for sure Fricka was mortally wounded.

“As I rounded the grill, I felt her bump up against my leg and I was like, ‘Oh my God, she’s with me.’ So, I took off running. I get on the patio. I open the door. I pushed her in with my right foot and as I’m closing the door, the bear was right there,” Yaughn said.

Bears are quite active this time of year in Central Florida, where the black bear population is about 4,000. They often brush up against suburban residents, looting trash cans as they forage. It can be dangerous for humans and pets.

Frika is convalescing, having had a dozen stitches, but she’s going to be just fine.

“The vet says she’s really hardy,” her owner, Eric Yaughn, told local media. “She said the extra layer of fat kept the bear’s claw from tearing out her intestines.”

We’re sure she’ll be using this as an excuse to avoid dieting from here on out!