Another dog killed by bear in Sparta, report says

SPARTA — In a span of less than three weeks, a bear has attacked and killed two dogs in this Sussex County township.

The most recent incident occurred Wednesday night, according to TAPinto.net. A man on Layton Lane called police just after midnight on Thursday when he discovered his dog after following "bear tracks and blood in the snow," according to the report.

Police said the dog, a Yorkshire terrier, was brought to a local animal hospital but couldn't be saved.

Sparta police could not confirm whether the bear responsible for the Jan. 19 attack was the same one involved in a Jan. 3 incident that left a woman with minor injuries when she was bitten on the leg while attempting to stop a bear from attacking her dog. The English springer spaniel did not survive its injuries.

Following the early January incident, the state Department of Environmental Protection indicated that the bear involved will be euthanized if officials are able to capture it. As of 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, DEP hadn't indicated to New Jersey 101.5 whether the bear from the Jan. 2 incident had been caught.

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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