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Collins said she saw the bear carrying Fudge "like a salmon" and she was operating on instinct when she ran up to the bear and punched it in the face.
"It was all so fast. All I could think about was my dog was going to die," Collins said.
"It was a stupid thing but I couldn't help it," she said. "I know you're not supposed to do that but I didn't want my dog to be killed."
Collins said she grabbed the dog when the bear dropped it.
Regan O'Toole, Collins' boyfriend, said he ran outside when he heard Collins screaming and the bear appeared to be stunned from the punch. He said the animal ran off when he chased it, the newspaper reported.
Collins said Fudge was not badly hurt.
"I wasn't in my right mind at the moment but I would never think of doing it again," she said of punching the bear.