A Montana woman used bear spray to fend off a moose that charged into her yard, protecting her three dogs during a frightening encounter caught on Ring camera footage. Shelly Thorburn, from Big Sky, described her fear as the animal repeatedly approached, briefly chasing one of her dogs before she managed to grab the spray and drive it away. The incident highlights the real dangers posed by wild animals, particularly moose, which can become unpredictable and aggressive, especially during mating season.

Footage showed Thorburn falling over in shock during the moose's first charge, while her dogs scattered in panic; she was most concerned for Annie, her 14-year-old dog who is deaf and visually impaired and unaware of the danger. A moose calf was seen nearby, believed to belong to the charging animal. The episode comes weeks after Montana recorded its first fatal moose attack in 20 years, when a 42-year-old man died near Red Lodge after being struck by a moose's antlers, with a local sheriff warning that moose are especially aggressive during the current rutting season.