Lori Price recently successfully defended herself from a black bear attack in Alaska. Her dog was severely wounded by the bear. Then the bear came after her. She used a 9mm Glock 43 to defend herself. Joe Allgood interviewed her for In Depth Alaska (video link).
On Sunday, June 7, 2026, Lori Price was hunting mushrooms, near Skilak Lake. Skilak lake is south of highway 1 on the Kenai penninsula, about 20 miles east of Soldatna, Alaska. She was almost ready to go home. She had two dogs with her, a chocolate lab, Liz and Chaos her German short-hair. The dogs were not very far away, but the woods was very dense. Both dogs wore bright colored GPS collars.
Lori heard a yip, an expression of alarm and fear from Chaos, then a loud roar from a bear. Immediately, she hears yelps of pain and fear from her dog. Lori charged into the woods, a dense combination of alder, Devil's club and other trees to get to her dog. As she dashed in she was screaming for her dog. In a tiny opening, she looked up, and a black bear, with the blood from her dog dripping from its face and teeth, was coming at her. Lori always carries a pistol and bear mace with her. The bear was only 4-5 feet away as Lori drew her Glock 43 and fired. The bear dropped.
Out of the corner of Lori's eye she sees the GPS collar for her dog. She saw Chaos lift his head and he was a bloody mess. In that instant, the bear got up. Lori reacted and shot again. The bear went down again. Lori's chocolate lab was trying to push past Lori, to get between her and the bear. Lori was holding her back. The German Short-hair, Chaos was dragging himself to Lori. Lori was gathering herself and the dogs to get away. The bear rose again, and Lori fired again She is sure she hit the bear the first two times. She is not certain about the third time. The bear took off as Lori ran down the hill with her dogs. She gets out of the woods, not far from where her 4 Runner is parked. Lori tries to call 911with some success, but the connection was patchy. She flagged down Captain Shawn and his wife Sandra from Homer, telling them she needs first aid for her dog. They grab their first aid kit. They jump into action. She asks them to hold Chaos as she grabs her 4 Runner to take Chaos to veternary care. Chaos is bleeding profusely. Lori had been able to get ahold of her husband. Her husband arranged for aid to be ready on standby, and to meet her to help get their dog to the vet. They get Chaos to vet. Then Lori drops off the chocolate lab and goes back to Skilak Lake to coordinate with Fish & Game. Lori tells them Chaos is petrified of bears, and never would have initiated an attack.
On the way back from Skilak Lake, the veterinarian called and said Chaos would live, and they could take him home that night.
Lori went on to thank her husband for insisting she practice drawing and firing her Glock pistol. She said she learned things such as it was necessary to have a good belt, wear it snug so she could confidently draw the pistol without fumbling for it. She said it was important to practice drawing bear spray as well. She practiced at home with a laser practice system.
Analysis: Lori Price's practice is what saved the situation. The bear was very close. She may not have had two seconds from the time she saw the bear to the time she fired. In an emergency, you do what you have trained to do. She shot the bear, saved herself and her dog. The bear was not found, but the odds are it will not recover. Lori's experience is a good lesson for other Alaskans to follow. Practice and be prepared. Laser systems are good ways to practice drawing and firing, with little expense. The system allows safe practice while drawing, and shows where the first shot would land. Fast recovery from recoil is best practiced on the range. Do not practice with a loaded handgun in your home, or anywhere you do not have a safe backstop. Do not practice with live bear spray inside a building, or where other people are likely to be affected.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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