We normally like to think of our dogs protecting us, but in this case, a man went to extreme lengths to protect his canine companion: he punched a bear that was trying to eat his Chihuahua.
Carl Moore, 73, saw a black bear trying to crawl into his yard in Meadow Vista, Calif. and nab his little dog, the LA Times reports. Moore is a former boxer, and those fighting instincts kicked in. Moore punched the bear in the face and it ran away.
“The man or beast that I run from ain’t been born,” Moore said in the below interview with CBS Sacramento, “and its mama’s already dead.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Tessa Berenson Rogers at tessa.Rogers@time.com