Denise Haldeman doesn’t blame the bear that attacked her in the darkness outside her Lycoming County, PA, home May 12, injuring her and killing her dog.
“It wasn’t her fault,” Haldeman, 44, said Wednesday. “It was the mistakes I made. She was just being a mother.”
Officials say they believe the bear that injured Haldeman is the one they trapped outside Haldeman’s home last week. The bear and three cubs had been seen in the area in the days before the encounter. Haldeman said she should not have gone out after dark to bring in three bird feeders, and she should have had Panda, her 12-year-old half Labrador retriever-half Australian herd dog, on a leash.
Haldeman said she went outside shortly after 9 p.m. to get the feeders, and Panda “tore into the yard.” She thought he was chasing a neighbor’s dog that at times runs loose. The next thing Haldeman knew, a bear was standing on its hind legs clicking its teeth at her. She turned to flee into the house, and the bear hit her from behind, knocking her face down on the patio. Continue reading Woman Blames Herself for Bear Attack