NORTHAMPTON - A dog received medical treatment Wednesday night after an encounter with a bear on Lawn Avenue.

A dog attacked by a bear on Lawn Avenue received stitches for three puncture wounds in the face.

The dog began to bark at the bear and its two cubs, resulting in the attack. The dog was then brought to a local veterinary clinic, where it received stitches for three puncture wounds on its face.

In the past few weeks, Northampton residents have been increasingly worried about bear encounters in residential areas. In an email to City Councilor-at-Large Bill Dwight on April 10th, Northampton resident Carmen Ahearn expressed her concerns that a friend's neighbor was feeding bears.

"We have always believed that Ursus Americanus is more afraid of us than we should be of then," writes Ahearn. "But if they no longer behave like that, we are clearly in danger."

As a result of the community's concerns, the City Council passed an ordinance explicitly prohibiting the feeding of bears in Northampton at their April 19th meeting.

Read the entire ordinance and email here.

Photos courtesy of Bruce McKay via Flickr. Used under creative commons license.