DeLand woman's dog injured in scuffle with black bear

DeLAND, Fla. — A 15-year-old boy was walking his dog in DeLand last week when a black bear emerged from the woods and attacked the dog.

Karen Rando said her son was walking Kali, the family's 2-year-old German shepard, when the bear attacked. She said it was Kali who protected her son from the bear, but it came at a price.

"It wasn't until later that we noticed the gaping holes on her and her limping and her tail between her legs," Rando said of Kali's injuries.

But a biologist told Channel 9 on Monday that Rando's dog provoked the attack and that it was Kali that attacked the bear, which was only protecting her cubs.

After the attack, Rando's son snapped a photo of three black bears in a nearby tree. Rando believes it was a mother and its two cubs.

The sighting is part of a growing number of bear sightings in the Glenwood neighborhood, authorities said.

"My main concern at this point is this sow brought her cubs to my home and they are 10 feet from my front door," said Rando.

Officials told Rando that she needs to secure her trash by using hardware or use an electric fence. But Rando claims that won't work and she's concerned a person will be the victim of the next attack.

Kali is expected to recover.

WFTV