They were just trying to save the dog.

Things escalated so quickly that all three parties involved walked away injured, but alive.

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This past weekend, It happened to two carpenters working in their cabin near Isabella (in Lake County) over the weekend. The Associated Press explains, "[...] The DNR says the bear attacked the first worker and when the second man tried to intervene he was bitten on the arm." Before that - the same bear (in the same area_ was apparently irritated by a dog onsite, and one man rushed to rescue the dog. AP reports, "Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson says the same bear attacked a 68-year-old man a short time earlier in the same area after he tried to save his dog from the animal. The man drove himself to a hospital in Ely."

This bear has since been caught and killed.

Here's what'd odd about both attacks - at this time of year (and in the state of Minnesota), most bears should be (and typically are) hibernating. These attacks are rare to begin with. It's suggested that these may have been only the 13th or 14th bear-on-human attack in Minnesota since 1987.

If you do run across a bear - don't panic. It's not an automatic death sentence. Here are some tips to stay safe.

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