Man kicks dog out of bear's mouth

OVIEDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A man kicked his dog right out of a bear's mouth.

When the Oviedo, Florida family first saw several bears on their back porch, they thought it was cute. But cute quickly turned to gruesome.

With a dog named "Gator," Brandy Fulghum knew her dog was fierce. "He was trying to save us."

But the Yorkie-Bichon mix was no match for the bear and two cubs that showed up on her porch Monday morning.

"He's a little dog who thought he was huge, but he's little," said Brandy Fulghum.

The bears came to the back door shortly after her husband, David, woke up. When it was time for David to go to work, Brandy says he opened the door to look out and that's when, "Gator just jumped between his feet and ran out."

She says David then ran outside and found the dog in the bear's mouth.

"He had a big hole in his side and we didn't know at the time it was his intestines outside of his, his stomach sorry."

That image pushed David to take on that Goliath of a bear.

"He said he was face-to-face with it and he just drop-kicked it," said Fulghum.

The bear dropped the dog. David rushed little Gator to the vet. Gator is doing well now after surgery, but Brandy says it could be touch and go for the next two days.

The vet bill is up to $12,000, but worth every cent to keep Gator alive. That dog is more than just a dog to her husband.

"He's like his therapy dog. When his dad passed away, he was there. our son died in June of last year, so he's been his best friend," said Brandy Fulghum.

Brandy says Florida Fish and Wildlife officers came to their house, and they've since cleaned their trash.

You can help Gator get the care he needs by donating to the family's Go Fund Me page.