A Montana woman risked life and limb to protect her pets from an enormous rampaging moose.
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When she suddenly came across a moose in her backyard, Shelly Thorburn leaped into action to shield her three dogs, including one that is deaf and visually impaired.
The wild incident was captured on a Ring camera on Aug. 27, showing the moose and her calf racing around the backyard at full speed.
"I looked around the side of the house, and it was mama moose coming, running as fast as she could with her ears pinned back," Thorburn recalled to CNN.
Thorburn said that the moose made "grunting noises" which caused two of her dogs to flee.
However, Thorburn's handicapped, 14-year-old dog Annie was unaware of the danger.
"She cannot hear. She's deaf, and she's visually impaired," Thorburn said of the aged dog.
Thorburn added, "So she did not know anything that was going on."
In an attempt to protect her pets, Thorburn began shouting at the wild animals that stormed about her backyard.
Montana Woman Protects Dogs From Moose Attack
Before long, she pivoted to a new plan and ran inside to grab a can of bear spray.
"I was fearful for sure, you know, because she was so big and I've never had a big animal like that run after me," Thorburn said.
The Montana resident confessed that she zoned out for a second, operating on instinct to protect her beloved dogs.
"I didn't realize I was doing all that, but I just wanted them all in the house — everybody," she told the outlet.
Fortunately, the bear spray worked, sending the vicious moose and its calf scrambling back into the wild.
With Yellowstone National Park about an hour away, moose spottings are common in Thorburn's neighborhood.
Moose aren't afraid of humans. They aren't going to bolt when you wander into their area. Don't let this give you a false sense of security. While moose may seem docile and friendly, they can also be quite ornery and aggressive," Visit Big Sky wrote. "Moose attacks are rare, but they are always a possibility if the moose feels threatened."
