OLIVER TOWNSHIP, Pa., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- An Oliver Township, Pa., couple's injuries were being treated Monday after they were attacked by a black bear that followed their dog into their home.
Richard and Angela Moyer let their dog out at 4 a.m. Monday, The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa., reported.
"When the dog came running back onto the house, a bear was right on its tail and followed it into the house," Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said.
Richard Moyer was bitten and scratched by the bear. Angela Moyer tried to chase the bear off "and it turned on her as well," Feaser said.
The extent of the couple's injuries wasn't clear.
"Black bears are far more timid than their western cousins. They are more likely to run than confront a human but if there is a dog involved or a surprise situation a bear will defend itself," Feaser said.
A wildlife conservation officer was searching for the bear, which will be euthanized and tested for rabies if located.
"It is very unusual for a bear to go into a house but clearly this is a situation where there had been a dog-bear encounter outside. ... It is most likely this bear was in hot pursuit of the dog. Bears and dogs are mortal enemies," Feaser said. "In most reports of bear, human contact, in [the] vast majority of the cases there is a dog involved."
