A Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy and her K-9 partner, Gator, got a surprise on Saturday night when they encountered a bear in the woods.
According to VCSO, K-9 Gator was searching the woods for an aggravated battery suspect at around 11:35 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, when a “hidden forest dweller” was found instead.
In a social media post, VCSO shared body camera footage of the incident, which was K-9 Gator’s first encounter with a bear.
On the footage, the deputy is heard stating, “Holy (expletive), that’s a bear.” The deputy then quickly pulled K-9 Gator away from the bear, instructing Gator to “leave it.”
While speaking with another individual about the encounter, the deputy described the bear as being “pretty small.”
VCSO stated that “both sides walked away from this encounter unharmed and with a mutual respect [for each other].”