The small canine’s exceptional braveness in defending its household from a bear assault highlights unimaginable bravery.

“My hero died saving me from a bear that got here in my home. We misplaced an enormous a part of our household. Heartbroken…,” wrote Tiffany Merrill on her Fb publish.

Tiffany’s hero Pickles, her five-pound toy poodle.

Pickle made the final word sacrifice in an try to save lots of his household from a 150 – 200 hundred pound stray bear that wandered into the household’s dwelling within the Black Mountains of North Carolina.

Pickles – The Hero

The little toy poodle made his method into Tiffany’s coronary heart 4 years in the past. He was given the title Pickles by Tiffany’s daughter, Emily.

Remembering her beloved pup, Tiffany mentioned that Pickles was her shadow, going the place she went, doing what she did.

“Probably the most factor I favored about Pickles was how he would put us to mattress and if somebody was right here he would simply lay subsequent to us.” -Emily Merrill

The Rescue

In a sequence of posts on Fb, Tiffany described the chain of occasions from that morning.

At about 6 a.m., she opened the door of the home to let Pickles out for his morning stroll. As she normally did, Tiffany left the door open since she didn’t see something uncommon outdoors.

Seconds later, nevertheless, Tiffany mentioned a bear got here hauling into her home. Whereas Tiffany yelled for her kids to shut the door and keep inside, the bear jumped on prime of a sofa inside her dwelling to attempt to get to her.

“I believed I used to be going to die,” Tiffany later recalled.

It was then that courageous little Pickles rushed in entrance of the bear and distracted him, placing his personal life at risk.

Tiffany later said on Fb that, “He (Pickles) was my third little one. I wished so unhealthy to go bounce on the bear’s again to save lots of him.”

Pickle courageously diverted the bear’s consideration and led it outdoors the household dwelling. After injuring the little poodle, the bear is alleged to have wandered off into the woods.


Sadly, little Pickles was severely injured within the encounter. Tiffany rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic for remedy of his traumatic wounds. However he couldn’t be saved.

The Merrill household’s little saviour handed away in Tiffany’s arms.


Whereas the Merrill household grieve their loss, in addition they reminisce the loving reminiscences they shared with their beloved little pup.

After the incident, Tiffany put up the next publish on Fb. “Nobody attempting to take meals out of my hand. Nobody ready on me to stroll threw [sic] the door. Certain I’ve my household however my little Pickle was at all times at my aspect. He by no means left my aspect. That is so arduous.”

In an earlier picture shared by Tiffany, she described how Pickles stayed by her aspect all evening when she was unwell. The phrase accompanying the picture mentioned, “Canines are so loyal.”

And certainly Pickles proved his love and loyalty by sacrificing his life to save lots of his household.


Tiffany mentioned she was overwhelmed by the help and compassion she acquired by buddies and strangers alike.

Tiffany is now sharing her story with individuals to unfold consciousness about the specter of stray bears within the hope that nobody else has to undergo an ordeal just like theirs ever once more.