A Florida man said he was attacked by a black bear cub while trying to rescue his dog last month.
For Blake Sprout, his first priority was making sure his children didn’t lose their beloved pet during the holiday season.
“I couldn’t just sit there and watch her die,” Blake Sprout, of Orange City, told local Fox affiliate WOFL about the Dec. 20 incident that occurred in the front yard of his home. “My kids love her! I couldn’t just tell them at Christmas, our dog is gone.”
Sprout told NBC affiliate WESH that he was letting his dogs outside when he opened the door and discovered there were three bears in his yard.
“Before I could stop my dogs, they just ran out to the bears,” he told the outlet.
As reported by Fox affiliate WSVN, Sprout said he kicked a bear cub when it attacked his dog Karen. While Karen was freed, the bear then turned on Sprout.
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“It dropped my dog and then attacked me and bit me in my stomach,” Sprout told WSVN.
As he recalled to WESH, Sprout said he kicked the cub because “I couldn’t let her [Karen] die. She was screaming in pain.”
A neighbor recorded the harrowing incident on video, WOFL reported. Both Sprout and Karen, who had stitches, are recovering.
“I’ve got a bunch of rabies shots just to be safe,” Sprout told WESH. “It’s pretty swollen, but it should be alright.”
He added that the incident has now made him more cautious when he goes outside and to always check before he walks out with his dogs.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Jan. 7, a spokesperson for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed the altercation involving Sprout, his dog and the bear cub.
“The cub had been nearby with an adult female bear and two other cubs, which were not involved in the incident,” the statement continued. “FWC Bear Management staff set traps on the property and successfully caught the three cubs and adult female bear, then relocated the family group.”
The FWC also said in its statement that residents should remove or secure all food attractants from around their home and yard — including garbage, pet food and bird seed – in order to avoid human-bear conflicts.
“If a bear is not able to find food, it will move on,” said the FWC, which has a web page about managing bears. “Feeding bears can make them lose their natural fear of people.”
PEOPLE contacted the family of Blake Sprout for comment on Jan. 7.
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