Our dogs are our family, and we'd do anything to protect them from harm. But when we say things like that, we don't usually think about the idea of protecting them from bears.
17-year-old Hailey Morinico did the unthinkable and actually shoved a bear when it was posing a threat to her dogs one morning. And amazingly, it was all caught on camera and posted online.
The dogs were let out moments later. It was an otherwise ordinary day. No one knew there were bears out there at the time.
The dogs immediately rushed to the wall to confront the bears. Knowing how protective mama bears are, it makes sense that she went on the defense as her cubs ran away.
It honestly looks like something out of a thriller movie. It's definitely the stuff of nightmares, looking out to see your dogs being attacked by a bear. Who would even think something like this would happen?
That's when Morinico sprung to action. As if without a thought, she rushed out moments later and actually pushes the mama bear. It was enough for her to lose her balance and fall off the wall.
You can see Morinico pick up one of her dogs, then run with the rest of them to get back inside. It must have been a huge relief for Morinico and her family that none of the dogs were injured.
And apart from a sprained finger and scraped knee, Morinico ended up being just fine, too.
Morinico's mother posted the video to a family group chat, where her cousin, Brenda Lopez Rincon saw it and decided to post it to TikTok and Instagram, Buzfeed reports.
It's been viewed, liked, and commented on millions of times, according to toofab. It's understandable that something like this would be an instant viral hit.
"I go over to the bear, I look it in the eyes, and the first thing I think to do is push it. Push a bear. Push an apex predator," Morinico tells Buzzfeed News.
The whole situation is wild. But everyone is grateful that Morinico and her dogs made it out safely. Lopez Rincon even adds that "we are all just proud we have our own Wonder Woman."
This definitely isn't how anyone would expect to spend their holiday weekend, but seeing this feat of bravery is kind of inspiring in a way.
That being said, this is probably the last thing you should do if you ever come across a bear. Even Morinico's family made her promise that she would never do anything like this again.
h/t Buzzfeed News, toofab
