Don't let this little guy's short stature fool you.
Max, an 8-year-old dachshund, may not look like a fair match in a face-off with a black bear, but he proved otherwise -- twice -- earlier this year. He was roaming around his backyard in Laughlintown, Pennsylvania, when a black bear appeared from the woods and grabbed him, reported Today.com. After the bear dropped him, Max decided running away wasn't the answer.
He lunged at the bear in an act of self defense, his owner Marlene Flint told provider Veterinary Pet Insurance, and then the bear grabbed the 18-pound dog a second time. It wasn't until Flint hit the bear with a shovel that it released the little dog from its mouth. And while Max suffered several puncture wounds, his bravery -- and unusual tale -- landed him a nomination for VPI's 46th annual Hambone Award.
Max with owner Marlene Flint
Each year Veterinary Pet Insurance nominates a dozen pets with the strangest insurance claims to hit their books, and Max topped the charts with his double bear attack. Public voting is open online until Sept. 30, when the winner is selected and rewarded with a trophy, toys, treats and other pet accessories. If Max wins, the veterinary office that treated him for his puncture wounds will also receive $10,000 from the Veterinary Care Foundation to assist pet owners with expensive pet care and treatment, according to Today.com.
This lucky dachshund isn't the only pup to ever survive a seemingly impossible situation.
In August, a springer spaniel named Sprig found himself stranded at the top of a 1,000-foot cliff for eight days without any food or water. He was hiking with his owners Mark and Susie Sanders and his fellow pup along Foreland Point in Devon, according to the Western Daily Press, when he went missing. Lucky for him, a volunteer lifeboat crew out on a training exercise spotted him on a ledge just 30 feet above the water, rescued him and returned him safely to his family.
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