BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WNCN) - A five-pound toy poodle named Pickle found his way into mom Tiffany Merrill's heart four years ago.
"He's always with me all the time -- always by my side. If I went to take a shower he was taking a shower right there beside me. If I went to bed, he went to bed -- very loving," said Merrill, a married mother of two children.
Around 5:45 a.m. Friday, Merrill opened a door at her Black Mountain home to let Pickle out for his morning walk.
She says the door was only open for a moment when a bear came into the family's house, which is near Swannanoa.
"I would say he was about 150 to 200 pounds -- very aggressive (and) not scared at all," Merrill said about the bear.
She feared for herself and her two children who were in their bedrooms.