… because they, or their people, will do you harm:
Juneau, Alaska – It started out as a typical evening for 22-year-old Brooke Collins. She let her dogs out as usual but this time, she said there was a black bear outside who took hold of her dachshund Fudge. She said she feared for her pet’s life and, in an instant, ran over and punched the bear right in the face to make it let go.
__
“It was all so fast. All I could think about was my dog was going to die,” said Collins.
__
“It was a stupid thing but I couldn’t help it,” she said. “I know you’re not supposed to do that but I didn’t want my dog to be killed.”…
… “That bear was carrying her like a salmon,” she said.
__
She said she almost instinctively went up and did the first thing she thought of. She punched the bear’s face and scooped away her dog when it let go. It all happened too fast to really think about but she had flashes of hearing about how some animals will back off from a punch to the nose, she said.
__
She said her boyfriend Regan O’Toole came out upon hearing the screaming. O’Toole said the bear already looked startled from being punched at that point. He said the animal went down the driveway and into the bushes to the mountain as he ran toward it.
__
Her dog suffered some claw and bite marks but they weren’t deep so she said she decided not to take Fudge to the vet. She said the dog appeared to be more shocked than injured. She’s keeping an eye on the marks and will get Fudge checked out if they appear infected.
__
She said she also got a mark on her thumb from where the bear and Fudge bit her, but it didn’t need medical attention, she said…
That bear is never going to get over the embarrassment.
Of course, from the look of Fudge’s grey face, she and Ms. Collins have known each other for quite a few years. But it is abso-bloody-typical of the badger dog breed that her Favorite Person literally pries her out of the jaws of death, and in return — gets bitten. By her own weiner dog!
Sam Houston
My cat Fat-Fat says he’d run the hell away first chance he got and leave me to deal with the bear. Practical ass, he is.
Yutsano
Call me crazy, but it wouldn’t shock me if the dachshund started the whole mishegas.
Corner Stone
Where were you when I needed you?
Anne Laurie
@Corner Stone: I’m too old & fat to pry anyone’s arse out of a bear’s jaws. Possibly even my own, which is why I stay out of bear territory.
Elizabelle
Fudge is adorable.
Maybe they will both be on Colbert before the month is out.
Do you think she should go to the vet, though, before letting any infection set in? I wonder if that pup should be checked out. I’d take mine in …
Jay in Oregon
Google’s animated doodle for September 5 has to be seen to be believed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0gIFxYhrk
(It’s already available at http://google.com.au/)
Jay in Oregon
Google’s animated doodle for September 5 has to be seen to be believed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0gIFxYhrk
(It’s already available at http://google.com.au/)
Dead Earnest
@Jay in Oregon: Liked the video but was half expecting Google to somehow be of a young woman punching a bear in the nose (and of course this is an Open Thread but hope winds up and Springs eternal).
-a cool evening in KC, Kansas but missing my beloved Oregon none the less, envious of you Jay,
D.E.
Elizabelle
@Jay in Oregon:
A little Freddie Mercury.
That video literally jumps the shark.
Thanks.
Sam Houston
@Jay in Oregon: I liked the angelic touch at the end there.
Reagan was secretly a zombie and Freddie was secretly an angel. Here’s a toast to Freddie & Federally recognized any-sex marriages!
licensed to kill time
Good thing DerptheUndead is banned. You just know he’d do something unfortunate with this poor doggie’s name.
Linkmeister
Maybe I should get a Queen greatest hits CD. Somehow I’ve missed them.
hamletta
My life is centered around Faure’s Requiem at the moment. My mom is coming down and everything, and my house is a shithole.
Thank God the horrible heat has broken; it’s supposed to be in the 70s while she’s here.
We had a shit rehearsal in the cathedral we’re performing in. Everybody fucked up, except for the basses, and the conductor couldn’t see the accom- accom- accompanist.
Mom says a bad dress rehearsal means a good performance, so I’m hoping for the best.
hamletta
@Linkmeister: You should.
I was a teenage Queen freak, then I rejected them because punk rock, that’s why!
But they were really great.
TheMightyTrowel
OT but it’s an open thread, right?
It’s finally sinking in that I’ve landed myself a permanent (=tenure track) job in my field. Also, that I get/have to move to Australia to take it up in about 4 months. Holy F’ing Crap.
Amusingly, last night I dreamed that I was giving away all the plants in my garden to friends before I left, except my father – trying to help me clear up – took a weed-wacker to my prized rhubarb and there was shredded rhubarb all over the garden and I was furious. I woke up furious. I think I’m going to miss it here more than I expected….
Linkmeister
@hamletta: Looks like there are three Greatest Hits albums plus one Platinum collection which has all three of the others. Are they all equally good? The third one seems to have a lot of collaborations with other artists (Wyclef Jean? Really?).
Debbie(aussie)
Congrats TheMightyTrowel. Where in Aus will you be.
hamletta
@TheMightyTrowel: Well, as wonderful as Australia is, it’s still the other side of the world.
It’s natural to regret a big decision like that: What was I thinking?
But you’ll be fine. You’ll soon be preaching to us benighted Americans about how the criminals got society right.
Amir Khalid
I vaguely remember a story I saw on the BBC site a few years ago. It was about a very territorial house cat, who found a bear trespassing in his yard and chased it up a tree. The bear remained treed until the cat’s human called him to come inside the house.
TheMightyTrowel
@Debbie(aussie): Canberra – apparently not the most exciting place to visit, but very nice to live in.
hamletta
@Linkmeister: I can’t advise you there. I just have the ’70s albums, up to the stinky Hot Space.
Freddie’s last album, Innuendo, is awesome. It was a return to form, beautiful and dramatic. “The Show Must Go On” was used beautifully in Moulin Rouge!
Maybe if you show me which albums you’re looking at, I can help some more.
Debbie(aussie)
RE Canberra- that is what I hear too ;), Never been there myself. I live in SE Qld, Ipswich. Canberra can be cold (by SE Qld standards) hope you come from where you can cope. Good Luck, and an early WELCOME!
TheMightyTrowel
I was born in New England and now live in Olde Englande so i’m down with hot winters and cold summers (and the reverse). Not sure if i’ll cope with drought, but there’s a first time for everything….
Debbie(aussie)
The cold should be a breeze. Droughts and bush fires might be cause for consternation.
TheMightyTrowel
bush fires… ugh…
Origuy
Scientists have found the species of yeast that made possible the brewing of lager, in beech galls in Patagonia.
Elizabelle
Hello out there?
Anybody? Dachshund? Human? (Hello Origuy. Beer makes life possible.)
Origuy
@TheMightyTrowel: Congratulations! Archaeology is a tough field to get established in, I understand. It fascinates me, but I’m too addicted to a regular paycheck to start a new field at my age.
Deuce MacInaugh
@hamletta: When Freddie died, Metal Hammer ran a special issue in his honor. It contained a wonderful story: When Queen were mixing A Day At The Races, the Sex Pistols were in the studio down the hall. Sid Vicious stumbled in one day, and shouted “‘Ello, Freddie. Still bringing ballet to the masses, then?”
Without missing a beat, Freddie replied “Ah, mr. Ferocious. Trying our best, dear, tryng our best.”
Just apropos of punk. :)
Elizabelle
@TheMightyTrowel:
Oz could be a lovely place to live for a while.
Just make sure to vote absentee, and keep in touch on teh internetz.
Personally, I have liked all the Australians I have met.
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@Debbie(aussie): I was in Sydney for R&R in August of 69 and froze my ass off!
Elizabelle
Gentle rain falling outside in SoCal. As rare as sharks.
What passes for news in the LA Times.
Star Monkey Spotted at LAX
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/star-monkey-spotted-at-lax.html
Hillary Rettig
@Jay 6 – thanks so much for posting that. I miss Freddie.
WereBear
@Amir Khalid: Cats, on the other hand, take care of themselves…
Cat chases bear
hamletta
Gawd, Queen’s Web site sucks. If you order an album, you have to download some godawful Java applet, which is unavailable.
I am royally pissed.
PurpleGirl
RWNJs are gonna feel disrespected by teh Goggle today. That’s an awesome Google doodle but it isn’t what’s showing on Google in the US. I’m getting the regular Google page with a lame small US flag under the search box buttons.
Granted the RWNJs don’t like unions and workers, but really, Google, I would think they could have come up with a nice bunch of people marching to a BBQ.
M-pop
@Jay in Oregon: Freddie would have really liked that tribute.
jeffreyw
In honor of Fudge, a wee lass to take his mind off his troubles.
TheMightyTrowel
@Origuy: The best approach (one I’d advise all prospective archaeologists to follow): Cultivate an interest in archaeology by reading things about archaeology. Sell your soul and make bajillions in some other field (banking, mining, oil industry flak). Practice archaeology when the sun shines. Spend the rest of your time in your refitted medieval castle reading and writing or on your yacht thinking very hard.
All the happiest archaeologists followed this career progression.
JPL
It’s going to be a rainy day in GA so I’m off to run a few errands before the deluge arrives. Have a good labor day folks. For those fantasy football fans, think twice before drafting Peyton. News overnight out of Indie doesn’t sound great.
PurpleGirl
@jeffreyw: Awe, she’s cute.
Xenos
@TheMightyTrowel: This is a good point… I never did finish my archaeology MA thesis, always hoping to restart once I had the time and funds to actually get out and spend enough time in the field to actually come up with something worthwhile.
When I retire from practicing law, though, my old marshalltown should come out of the tool drawer.
JGabriel
Commemorate Labor Day: Remember the Haymarket Massacre!
Because Labor Day was scheduled in September to make us forget:
.
jeffreyw
Mmm…pretty breakfast.
Amir Khalid
@TheMightyTrowel:
Just wondering, where does searching for the lost Ark of the Covenant fit into this life plan?
Amir Khalid
@JGabriel:
As it happens, I was about to ask why the US doesn’t celebrate Labor Day on May 1 like the rest of the planet.
JGabriel
@Amir Khalid: Now you know.
Edited To Add: The Haymarket Massacre is the US’s Tiananmen Square: Like Tiananman Square in China, most American’s have never heard of the Haymarket Massacre — while the rest of the world commemorates it on May Day every year.
.
TheMightyTrowel
@Amir Khalid: Eventually yachts will get boring… right?
Mino
@jeffreyw: That’s a puppy, right? Cute, cute, cute.
And what did you decide to do about your caterpillars?
I came across a huge hornworm on one of my peppers. I knew he had travelled there from elsewhere. And while I relentlessly smush his smaller brethren on my tomato plants, I didn’t smush him. I actually petted him on the head which made him curl his neck and freeze for a long time. Then I left and wished him well.
Amir Khalid
@JGabriel:
I’m currently reading Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Still a few chapters short of the first mention of the Haymarket massacre, but I’ll get there.
Southern Beale
I read this story last week. This girl is my hero. She kinda has a Xena Warrior Princess vibe to her. Rock on, sweetie!
Mino
Oh, and central Texas seems to be on fire. West of Austin to Bastrop State Part (with her Lost Pines). And a cool front is coming through with winds to spread it nicley.
People, be safe.
Kristine
I can see Gaby attacking a bear. One day I took her for a walk on a trail near railroad tracks, and she tried to go after a passing train.
jeffreyw
@Mino: Yup, Ingrid is a puppy. She’s since been adopted out of the shelter.
The caterpillars are still awaiting action. I haven’t decided, tho I did some research on raising them indoors I don’t think I’ll go that way. I’ll probably transport them to some Queen Ann’s Lace which seems to be another favored flavor.
Kristine
I can see Gaby attacking a bear. One day I took her a walk on a trail near railroad tracks, and she tried to go after a passing train.
And apologies if this shows up twice. Either the first attempt went into moderation–no clue why–or Firefox screwed up. This version has been fighting with WordPress–none of the buttons work like they’re supposed to. B-quote’s a mess.
Kristine
@jeffreyw: Doh–puppy!
slightly_peeved
@TheMightyTrowel:
Congratulations! Is that at ANU? Very good University.
I’d check the relative conditions of the job to what you’re offered in the US; while permanent jobs are easier to get in Australian universities, as far as I’ve heard, I’m not sure the permanent jobs here quite line up to what I’ve heard about tenure in the US. They also won’t offer you a health plan, because that’s not needed here obviously :)
But Canberra’s a lovely, pretty, town. It’s very quiet when the politicans aren’t around, and it’s not too far from either Melbourne or Sydney. And if you stay here, you can watch any potential Perrypocalypse from a relatively safe distance.
Mino
@Amir Khalid: Have you read any of Studs Terkel’s books? They have a flavor to them.
wrb
The protective insting is strong. I did something similar with a cougar a few weeks back. Thinking wasn’t involved.
LanceThruster
I like her moxie.
Can she immediately be appointed as head of the DNC (or given a Cabinet position)?
Amir Khalid
@Mino:
Which would you recommend?
txvoodoo
I’m a weiner dog owner. I understand this post and approve of it.
A few years ago, somehow one of my dogs got out of our fence and was engaged in a showdown in the middle of the street with a very large dog. Note: I am NOT an athlete – I mostly resemble an apple. I vaulted our 4.5 foot high fence – VAULTED – and scooped up the doxie, and yelled the other dog away.
Adrenaline is an amazing thing.
Mino
@Amir Khalid: He’s an oral historian, so it allows insight into the gestalt of an era. He got his Pulitzer for The Good War, but a more timely book might be Hard Times. It illustrates just how far our society has been distorted.
Continental Op
Black bear. Don’t try this with a grizzly.
Linkmeister
@Amir Khalid: Working was the first of his I read. I recommend it.
Glen Tomkins
@Elizabelle: Bite wounds generally should get treated with antibiotics, unless they are very superficial.
It’s not the saliva that’s dangerous. Saliva just has a yuck factor, but is actually somewhat antiseptic (they used to have dogs lick people’s wounds).
The problem is the plaque on teeth that gets into a wound when there’s a bite. Dental plaque is a witch’s brew of hundreds of different types of bacteria, some of which are bad news in the open wound created by the teeth the plaque is dislodged from in the process of creating the wound.
Bottom line, if there’s a full thickness break in the skin (any bleeding), you need antibiotics, exactly what kind varying with the critter that did the biting. That goes for human critters as well. Their bites are really nasty, even the ones who use Pepsodent.
Gilbert Garcia
I adopted a dog that is part daschund and part terrier (Jack Russel, we think). I can totally see that whack-job starting trouble with a bear. He just doesn’t really get that he’s small.
mrmike
@Gilbert Garcia:
I have a friend with an Iggy and an Iggy/Chihuahua mix and they both exibit that sort of behavior. I’ve seen them maul English Mastiffs. I usually blame it on a brain the size of a walnut.