Police in Sparta say that a bear attacked an 81-year-old woman and her dog on Monday evening.

Officers responded to Echo Drive around 7 p.m. for a report of a woman being attacked by a bear.

The victim told police she had put out her garbage earlier that day for the Tuesday pickup. She says when she let her dogs out, there were two bears that had torn open the garbage bags and were eating the garbage. The dogs headed toward the bears.

The woman reported that the bigger bear ran toward the woods, but the other bear stayed and swatted at the dog, knocking it to the ground. She says she ran toward the bear, yelling at it, and attempted to get her dog away from the bear. She says that this is when the bear bit and scratched her.

The victim says the bear picked up one of the dogs and dragged it into the woods, with her other dog in pursuit.

The victim was transported to Newton Hospital to be treated for her injuries. She received several stitches to her leg and was given antibiotics for her injuries and was released.

The dog was transported to the animal hospital but did not survive its injuries.

Authorities are now searching for the bear.