Woman injured by brown bear sow near Bells Flats in Kodiak

A woman walking her dog near Bells Flats on Kodiak was attacked by a brown bear sow on Tuesday and taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said — and by the department's account, her dog may be the reason it wasn't worse.

The two were on a densely vegetated trail beside a salmon stream when they spotted two cubs about 40 yards off. Moments later the sow came out of the brush, chased the dog back toward the woman, and attacked her. The dog bit and barked at the bear, drawing its attention long enough for the woman to move a short distance away and play dead. The sow and cubs left, and the dog was not hurt. She then called 911 and walked to the nearest home for help.

Biologists interviewed her and searched the area for the bears; the department did not say whether they were found. Encounters like it are a summer hazard on Kodiak and across Alaska: thick foliage blocks sightlines and makes surprise meetings more likely, and state records counted 68 people hospitalized in 66 bear attacks between 2000 and 2017, most of them between June and September.

The department renewed its standard cautions for bear country — carry a deterrent like bear spray, travel in groups and make noise to avoid surprising a bear, and give a sow with cubs plenty of distance rather than approach.