Small Dog Called Hero After Scaring Off 3 Bears At Home In Monrovia

MONROVIA (CBSLA.com) —  A little dog is being called a big hero after she scared off three bears outside her home in Monrovia.

Dog met bear(s) on Highland Place in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

CBS2's Rebecca Ferriter reports the canine-ursine meeting was also caught on camera.

Don't let the dog's sweet little face or tiny size fool you.

Ferriter reports that Jewels  -- a 20-pound French bulldog -- is a true guard dog.

"She wasn't having it, you're not coming in to her property," said homeowner David Hernandez.

On Friday afternoon, two bears -- believed to be about a year old each -- wandered into the family's front yard. A third bear was on the balcony, just out of range of the camera.

"Momma bear is sitting up here," said Hernandez as he showed the surveillance video to Ferriter.

Jewels  didn't care how many bears there were or how big they were. She chased them off.

One bear, estimated at about 100 pounds, scampers up the fence to get away from the pooch.

"She blew me away, couldn't believe that she turned into a Wolverine," Hernandez jokes.

A wildfire in the area impacted the food supply in the foothills and the bears have been coming down, increasingly, looking for grub. Hernandez says some of his neighbors are even encouraging these visits by feeding them.

"It is a crime, you can do jail time if you're caught doing it. Some of my neighbors give them dog food in 25-pound bags," Hernandez said, "there's one lady in the neighborhood who actually makes them meatloaf."

While it might sound funny to some, with two young kids to worry about, Hernandez isn't taking any chances with wildlife encounters.

His daughter's bedroom window is boarded up -- to prevent the bears from the sliding the glass open.  And he's installed cameras that can alert him to any activity outside the home.

"There's nothing more dangerous in a forest than a mother bear, nothing," says Hernandez.

So why live in the Monrovia foothills?, Ferriter asked.

"You could have drive bys or you can have bears. What's it going to be? For me I'll choose the wildlife, but just don't feed them," Hernandez said.

For her heroics, Jewels was given a bath, a treat and lots of kisses.