Honey was severely injured on the evening of March 3 after defending the Martinez family farm in the foothills of Cordova. Thanks to Honey, not one of the family's 60 chickens or two horses was harmed by the bear. Another family dog, Zoe, also came face to face with a bear but only suffered a scratch and bump to the head, thanks to Honey's bravery.
The next morning, Leanna, Denise's daughter, found Honey lying helplessly on the driveway with major injuries to her face, head, and neck. The swelling from Honey's injuries made her completely unrecognizable. All signs pointed to a terrifying bear, fresh from hibernation and ready to pounce on the family's livestock. Fences and trees on the property were adorned with massive scratch marks, and security camera audio captured the beast's ferocious roar.
She’s our little savior. She’s been nicknamed the bear slayer, and we’ve just come to find out that the bear slayer is afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
On the family farm, Honey had become caretaker to the land, scoping out potential threats to the family and livestock using her animal instincts and sense of smell. Honey is half blind due to a porcupine attack years prior and had previously survived parvo, a highly contagious disease that attacks white blood cells and the gastrointestinal tracts of dogs and wolves.
Denise and Leanna rushed Honey to an emergency veterinarian. The quote given by the emergency veterinarian left Denise and Leanna terrified that they could not afford to save Honey. They turned to Española Humane's new low-cost clinic, where Honey's injuries were treated for a fraction of the price. Española Humane is a New Mexico-based non-profit that raises money to provide shelter and medical care to thousands of animals. Denise said she and her family are 'beyond grateful' to Española Humane for saving Honey's life without an immense financial burden.
Her face was swollen on the left, so I turned her head like to the right, and that’s when I saw her whole neck was just ripped from the back all the way down.
In a social media post about Honey's attack, Española Humane called her injuries 'catastrophic'. Honey's injuries included a devastating degloving wound from her neck up into her face, deep punctures, unbelievable bruising and swelling, and lacerations. Honey was treated with heavy bandaging and medication. Honey requires constant care due to a deep, open wound that will take months to heal.
Denise Martinez is Honey's owner, and she noticed the dog 'tracking something' in the yard on the night of the incident.
A devastating degloving wound from her neck up into her face. Deep punctures. Unbelievable bruising and swelling. Lacerations that told the story her voice never would.
The care, compassion and support they’ve given through her recovery and dressing changes made the impossible possible for us.