Dog attacked by bear in Longwood dies

LONGWOOD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A dog that was attacked by a bear in Longwood two weeks ago has died. 

The dog was mauled late last month inside a garage of a home in the Estates at Springs Landing neighborhood.  When Rick Mann walked into his garage, he said he never expected to see three bears. 

“Helping themselves to our refrigerator,” he explained. 

His 5-year-old Morkie, "Reeses," jumped into action to protect his human from the mama bear and her two cubs. 

“My Reeses ran out and started barking at the bear, and of course, the bear lunged at him,” Mann said. 
“Took a bite."

Trying to save his dog, Mann grabbed anything he could to fight off the bear. 

“The next thing I found was a vacuum cleaner,” he said. “So I started swinging that at her.”

The dog suffered from a dislocated spine, multiple lacerations everywhere, a bruised kidney and bruised liver.

Another dog was killed in the same vicinity, around the same time as the attack in the Estates at Springs Landing, and just last week, a large bear became trapped inside a SUV. 

The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission said officers have been trying to track and trap the bear for weeks.